A complete listing of the characters found in the Gothic alphabet is here.æ Gothic, like most other germanic languages, at least in their earlier stages, accentuated the first syllable of the word.æ In compound nouns, the first syllable of the second element took the primary stress, for this was the primary element in terms of sense and grammar.æ Verbs with prefixes eventually came to take the stress on the first syllable of the stem, not the first syllable of the prefix, though in nouns the prefix, as distinguished from a compounding element, was accentuated.æ Double consonants were pronounced long, as though there were indeed two of them; consonantal doubling was thus requisite to sense, and therefore not used simply to alter preceding vowel length as is now done in some languages.

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VOWELS

Vowel markings were omitted in writing, but I supply it here for the sake of the learner. A circumflex denotes a long vowel (but ei represents long i). Acute distinguishes the diphthongs:

aæææææ a inago: akrs, dags, namo, giba
Åææææ a in father:Åh, fÅhan, brÅhta, §Åho(only occurs before h in native words)
eæææææ ee in German See, but very closed:jer, slepan, swe, hidre
iæææææ i in bit:ik, fisks, bindan, arbi
eiææææ ee in keen, German sie: swein, beitan, gasteis, managei
oæææææ oh in German wohl, but very closed: ogan, bro§ar, sokjan, saiso
uæææææ u in put: ubils, ufta, sunus, faihu
õæææææ u in German gut: õt, õhtwo, brõ§s, hõs
wææææ Ä in German Äber: Wmainaius, Twra, swnagoge (only when used as vowel, in words of foreign origin).

DIPHTHONGS

iuæææææ i + u, approximatelyæ ew in view, new (North. Engl.): iupa, §iuda, driusan, triu
aâæææææ between ein bet and a in hat: aâr§a, baâran, taâhun, aâ½uk, laâlot, haâh½it
½iæææææ probably like ei in German mein, or like igh in sigh: ½ins, hl½ifs, st½ins, tw½i, nim½i
aiæææææ probably like ² in OE sl²pan, a long a in back: saian, waian, faian, armaio
aþææææ o as in British not: haþrn, waþrd, daþhtar, aþhsa
½uææææ approximately ow in howl: ½uso, h½ubi§, aht½u, nim½u
auææææ long, open o-sound, au in British aught: staua, taui, trauan, bauan
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CONSONANTS

bææææ Initially or after a consonant, as in English. Medially after vowels as v. More precisely it was bilabial, not labiodental; this may be gotten by pursing the lips as for w, closely, and giving sound: barn, salbon,æ lamb, -swarb; haban, sibun, ibns

dææææ Initially, after a consonant or when geminated, as in English or German. Medially after vowels as like th in that (dental), or more precisely, interdental, with the tongue between the teeth: dags, kalds, bindan, band, iddja; fadar, badi, biudan

fææææ bilabial, like b above, but without voice; this may be approximated by English f: fulls, ufar, wulfs, fimf, gaf

gææææ Initially or between a preceding vowel and following consonant, as in English. Medially between vowels it was rougher, like a voiced version of German or Scottish ch, approximately a smooth version of the sound heard whilst gargling. Finally after a vowel and in the combination gs it was voiceless, like German ch.æ Before another guttural, i.e. g, k, or h, in represented the nasal sound, as ng in singing.æ This was in imitation of Greek usage, though in certain places n appeared in place of the first g.æ In certain words, however, the combination ggw represents a double hard-g + w: triggws, bliggwan: go§s, bugjan, tagra; ½ugo, steigan; mag, dags; aggilus, drigkan, sigqan; siggwan, aggwus; bliggwan, triggws

hææææ Initially or between vowels, a strong aspirate, otherwise nearly as in German ch: haban, gateihan; hl½ifs, nahts, jah

hvææææ Approximately h+w, though more simultaneous than in English, perhaps like Scotch wh: hveila, ahva, saâhvan, nehv

jæææææ as in English y: juggs, lagjan, fijands
kææææ as in German or English: kaþrn, kniu, brikan, juk
læææææ as in English: l½isjan, h½ils, haldan, skal, fugls, tagl, sigljo
mæææ as in English: mena, namo, nimam, m½i§ms, bagms
nææææ as in English: niun, rinnan, l½un, kann, t½ikns
pææææ as in English: p½ida, plinsjan, slepan, diups, hilpan, skip
qææææ approximately as qu in quick, though like hv it is actually a labio-velar: qiman, qens, sigqan, riqis, sagq, bistugq

rææææ trilled lingual as in Scotch or Spanish: raâhts, baâran, barn, fidwor, daþr, figgrs, huggrjan

sææææ voiceless always, as in sister:sibun, wisan, gras
tæææææ as in English: taâhun, h½itan, mahts, w½it
§ææææ as th in think, never voiced: §agkjan, §reis, bro§ar, brõ§s, mi§, fan§
wæææ as in English. After diphthongs and long vowels, somewhat of a short, semivocalic u: wens, wrikan, swistar, tÅhswo; sn½iws, waþrstw, skadwjan

zæææ as in English: huzd, hazjan, m½iza
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