THE OLD ENGLISH CONSONANT "THORN"

/q/

SOURCE: Germanic */q/

OE /q/ had two different realizations, or allophones, depending upon its phonetic environment.

1. Voiceless interdental fricative--initially or in the vicinity of voiceless phonemes. Example: þing "thing."

REFLEX: ME /q/

2. Voiced interdental fricative--when surrounded by voiced phonemes. Example: pæðas "paths."

REFLEX: ME /ð/

SPELLING: þ, ð

SOUND