1. In the Bloo Bouk, English vowels are divided into five didactic groups: short, long, wise, clear, reduced. Their rendition is ruled by two keys: Nordic, non-Nordic.
The bulk of the vowel standards on this page was codified by the great conclave of 1687.
2. A key is a set of assignments.
3. An assignment is the unique allocation of one or several letters to one vowel phoneme.
4. An assigner is one of the 29 vowel letters and combinations available for assignments:
Assigners
a, æ, ai, au |
e, ea, ee, ei, eo, eu |
i, ie |
o, oa, œ, oi, oo, ou |
u, ue, ui |
y, ay, ey, oy, uy |
aw, ew, ow |
The vowels æ and œ may be written ae and oe. For the use of graphic accentuation for stress and length, cf. Accentuation.

5. A recipient corresponds to one of the 25 vowel phonemes to which an assigner is assigned. Recipients are called after a name or sound that carries the vowel:
Recipients
pat, tess, nick, bob, doug, brooke |
jane, pete, mike, rose, hugh |
ma, howie, joy, maud, luke |
mark, claire, bert, keir, george, noor |
jacob, little nick, little brooke |
6. The recipients correspond to the following phonemes:
/a ɛ ɪ ɔ ɐ ʊ/ |
/eɪ iː ɑɪ əʊ jʉː/ |
/ɑː aʊ ɔɪ ɔː ʉː/ |
/ɑː ɛə ɜː ɪə ɔː ʊə/ |
/ə ɪ ʊ/ |
The vowel phoneme associated with a recipient may be a monophthong (pat: /a/) or a diphthong (joy: /ɔɪ/).
Recipients are not phonemes. A phoneme is a scientific description. A recipient is a cultural perception. The same recipient may be pronounced with different phonemes, like bob in the UK and the US. It can also be a phonetically arbitrary compound: hugh is nothing but luke preceded by a semivowel. But the distinction is culturally relevant: hugh as a “long” vowel names the letter u, while luke does not and is therefore a “wise” vowel.
English pronunciation is not uniform. This above phonemes represent a subjective perception of British received pronunciation in an educated environment in Winchester. While the list may be a didactic starting point for phonetic literacy, it does not lay any normative claim on English Pronunciation.

7. Orthography may be:
- monoglotic when one spelling system fits all words, e.g. French.
- heteroglotic when several systems coexist, e.g. Bloo Bouk English.
8. The Bloo Bouk divides English vowels into two spelling systems, called keys. Each key has its own method of assignments. The keys control words from the following families:
Keys
Nordic | non-Nordic |
---|---|
Old English | Latin, Old French, Anglo-Norman |
Middle English | Middle French, early Modern French |
Old Norse | early Romance languages |
German & Dutch | Ancient Greek, Latin from Greek |
Scandinavian languages | modern Greek, Greek disputed |
Celtic languages | unknown origin, neologisms |
A key assigns an assigner to each recipient, e.g:
- the Nordic key assigns au to howie, while the non-Nordic key assigns ou.
- the Nordic key assigns ou to brooke, while the non-Nordic key assigns ui.
9. An assignment may be:
- unique when only one assigner is assigned to a recipient: a to pat in the Nordic key.
- multiple when several assigners are assigned to a recipient: u and ue to hugh in the non-Nordic key.
Multiple assigners are assigned for different contexts, e.g. u and ue to hugh/luke in the non-Nordic key:
- u for word beginning and middle: unity, polucion, corùpt.
- ue for closed last syllable: values, pròdues, cuet.

10. Alien words are words from the above languages loaned into English after ca. 1700, or words from other languages. Alien words keep their alien spelling if:
- the word becomes unrecognisable, e.g.:
French rendezvous, étude, façade > *randævu, *ætued, *fassàd; - the word has non-vernacular phonemes, e.g.
French gendarme, joie de vivre, malheur, huile.
The following Modern French phonemes cannot be accommodated: /ʒ ɥ wɑ y œ ø ɛ̃ œ̃ ɑ̃ ɔ̃/.
11. Facultatively, French aliens follow the non-Nordic key if:
- the word remains recognisable, e.g.:
French groupe > group > gruep; - current pronunciation has made the spelling unrecognisable, e.g.:
French reveille > revàly.
The latest revision of Bloo Bouk spelling dates back to 1687. Its keys focus on the main lexical sources of English at the time. While English has become an international language since then, the foreign inputs from Anglo-Norman, Latin and Greek can still be described as the most substantial.
The division of orthography into keys must not be misconstrued as a judgement on cultural value. While the linguistic origin of the different keys is worth celebrating, it must not lead to the exclusion of speakers and contributions from other backgrounds.

12. An orthographic requirement is a justified expectation regarding the result of an assignment.
The Bloo Bouk upholds the following requirements:
- phonological requirement: the assignment must indicate pronunciation.
- etymological requirement: the assignment must reflect word origin.
- customary requirement: the assignment must look familiar.
- aesthetic requirement: the assigment must please the eye.
13. The Bloo Bouk blends the requirements in a balanced manner. Exaggerated focus on only one requirement leads to the following degenerations:
- phoneticism turns spelling into phonetic transcription, e.g.
Ðë sìti jùj ëbzêrvz ðë këndìshënz ëv ðe jùjmënt, instead of
The city jugg obzérvs the condicions ov the juggment. - primitivism turns spelling into an archeological museum, e.g.
Yck habbe allewayghaes y-loubbed yeow, instead of
Y hav oalwæs luvd u. - usualism turns spelling into a traditionalist cult, e.g.
People compete to meet the priest on the heath, instead of
Pépel compét to meet the preest on the heeth. - mannerism turns spelling into cosmetic aestheticism, e.g.
I have much love to give the dove I live for, instead of
Y hav much luv to giv the duv Y liv for.
14. The Bloo Bouk implements a balance of requirements in the following way:
- phonological requirement: within a key, every assigment is allocated primarily to indicate pronunciation.
- etymological requirement: English words are divided into etymological families, each with a different key of assignments.
- customary requirement: regardless of the key, every assignment shows a degree of historical precedence.
- aesthetic requirement: every assignment is regarded as an elegant solution by a reasonable number of learned speakers.

15. Customary justication clarifies how an assignment aligns with tradition. No language exists in a cultural vacuum. The price of accurate spelling cannot be arbitrary innovation.
16. An assignment is justified by custom when the assigner occurs in a similar context in different historical sources.
17. Historical sources have different degrees of authority. A degree of authority informs the ability of a source to be a reference of good spelling.
18. The Bloo Bouk bases its assignments on a hierarchy of four degrees of authority:
- First degree: the assigner is recurrent in a similar context in Chaucer, Wycliffe or the Matter of England.
- Second degree: the assigner is recurrent in Modern English, often also directly applied to the target recipient.
- Third degree: the assigner occurs only occasionally in Old, Middle or Modern English, or is recurrent but in a different context.
- Fourth degree: the assigner is loaned from a related language due to insufficient vernacular solutions.
Thus ou is a first degree assignment to brooke in fout [foot]: the assigner occurs in the same word in Havelok the Dane, even though the phonetic recipient may have been another. The familiarity we seek speaks not to the ear, but to the eye.

The following tables show English vowels in the Bloo Bouk code (click the arrow). Vowels without key specification are the same in all keys, e.g. pat, tess, nick.
For the spelling of affixes, cf. Morphology. Some phonological inconsistencies cannot be fully resolved orthographically, e.g. in the distinction between hugh and luke.
To hear the sound of the English vowels, cf. Pronunciation.




A. Short Vowels
Lax monophthongspat
am | carrot | black | clad |
that | attach | pattern | plaid |
cat | catch | tract | meringue |
apple | attack | badge | reveille |
m | c | rotbl | kcl | d
th | tat | chp | ternpl | d
c | tc | chtr | ctmer | ng
pel | at | kb | ggrev | ly
First degree
for graphic accentuation, cf Accentuation.
tess
get | bread | said | pleasant |
very | head | says | leisure |
many | dreamt | berry | heifer |
any | cleanse | bury | leopard |
g | tbr | ds | dpl | sant
v | ryh | ds | sl | sur
m | nydr | mtb | ryh | fer
ny | cl | nzb | ryl | pard
First degree:
cf. Havelok the Dane: deth, bred, frend, brest, dred.
cf. King Horn: eny.
nick
win | city | minute | biscuit |
give | finish | vivid | bicycle |
kiss | spirit | system | busy |
rich | lyric | sieve | women |
w | nc | tym | nutb | skit
g | vf | nishv | vidbíc | kel
k | sssp | rits | stemb | sy
r | chl | riks | vw | men
First degree:
cf. King Horn: wimman.
cf. Canterbury Tales, 1491-1492:
The bisy larke, messager of day,
Saluëth in hir song the morwe gray.
bob
not | doctor | shone | laurel |
font | what | because | cough |
donkey | wash | sausage | knowledge |
bomb | swan | bureaucracy | yacht |
n | td | ctorsh | nl | rel
f | ntw | tbic | zc | f
d | nkyw | shs | saggn | legg
b | msw | nbur | krassyy | t
First degree
doug
but | done | flood | courage |
club | front | blood | trouble |
gull | worry | couple | young |
udder | other | country | hiccough |
b | td | nfl | dc | ragg
cl | bfr | ntbl | dtr | bel
g | lw | ryc | pely | ng
der | dder | c | ntryhic | p
First degree:
cf. Havelok the Dane: yung, sum, cum, dun.
cf. King Horn: luve, luved, luvede.
brooke | Nordic
could | look | pull | wolf |
should | book | put | bosom |
would | took | full | woman |
wood | bull | foot | good |
c | dl | kp | lw | lf
sh | db | kp | tb | som
w | dt | kf | lw | man
w | db | lf | tg | d
First degree:
cf. Havelok the Dane: coude.
cf. King Horn, 137-138:
Of schup hi gunne funde,
And setten fout to grunde.
brooke | non-Nordic
cushion | bullet | push | cook |
c | shonb | letp | shc | k
Third degree:
ou is reserved for howie (non-Nordic key), and u for doug.
ui is not used as above in Modern English, but is the closest Anglo-French digraph available.

A poetry contest in the gardens of Sherborn Abbey in the early 13th century. Out of royal favour since the Norman conquest, the monks, scholars and knights sought to cultivate the old language by encouraging literary production and oral tradition among the people. Aldhelm’s language no longer existed, and a gradual adjustment of the Bloo Bouk to the new tongue was taking place.

B. Long Vowels
Tense monophthongs and diphthongs culturally perceived as long, alphabetic names of the vowels a, e, i, o, u19. In the Bloo Bouk, there are two rules of vowel elongation:
- rule of the added e: ae, ee, ie, oe, ue: gaelic, tee, tie, toe, clue
- rule of the rising accent: á, é, í, ó, ú: nácion, réson, líbel, lócal, cúbik
In general, the first rule applies to the Nordic key, the second to the non-Nordic one.
20. In the Nordic key, the customary requirement calls for a balanced application. If another assigner is a more common elongator in Middle English, preference is given to it:
- ee is upheld in ME: meet, preest, heeth
- y replaces ie: tie, riet, tiem > ty, ryt, tym
- oo replaces ue in luke: shue, flue > shoo, floo
- ew replaces ue in hugh: nue, due > new, dew
21. The aesthetic requirement also calls for a balance. If Middle and Modern English have no consistent precedent of an elongating assigner, preference is given to the assigner least intrusive to the eye. The aesthetic justifications for ae and oe (or æ and œ) are:
- ae is already used as a split digraph: lake, make, take > laek, maek, taek
- ae has popular appeal as an assigner for jane: Sundae, reggae
- ae is a graphic splitting of Old English ash: mæt, dæg; bæcere > baeker, baek, baeking
- oe is used in the same assignment, albeit rarely: doe, foe, goes, toe, woe
- oe is already used as a split digraph: broke, spoke, rode > broek, spoek, roed
- oe can form a discreet ligature: brœk, spœk, rœd, cœt, bœt, cœld, gœst
22. The phonological requirement is equally fulfilled. It is not the mere shape of a letter that indicates pronunciation, but its consistent allocation as a mnemonic pattern. Though ei could be assigned to jane due to its visual resemblance to /eɪ/, the assignment would have no customary justification in the Nordic key.

23. In the non-Nordic key, accentuation prevents the unnecessary rewriting of assigners shared with a continuum of Romance languages. Similarly, the rule of the added e does not fundamentally reshape an assigner.
24. The non-Nordic key applies the rules of elongation as follows:
- rising accent: stressed position in non-monsyllables: nácion, narrát, légal, concéd, líbel, lócal
- added e: unstressed position and monosyllables: fassinæt, lœcácion, próteen, ceed, Rœm, fæth
Unstressed mike remains y: ydìa, dyàlissis, mygrácion.
For the elongation of non-Nordic u, cf. Differential Accentuation.
25. Non-Nordic a is elongated through multiple assigners:
- rising accent: stressed position in non-monsyllables: nácion, narrát
- added e: unstressed position and monosyllables: fassinæt, fæth, dæm
- facultative ai/ei: Anglo-Norman monosyllables: faith/feith, saint/seint (but fæthful, sæntly)
- French ay: open final unstressed or monosyllable: pay, cafay, valay, puray, Calay
- French áy: open final stressed: aráy, obáy, blasáy, repáy, conváy, passáy
For French ai, ei and ay inflections, cf. Morphology.
jane
make | eight | wait | range |
day | ate | weight | straight |
rain | thegn | gaelic | halfpenny |
reign | great | nation | chaos |
m | kt | w | tr | ngg
d | t | w | tstr | t
r | nth | ng | lich | pny
r | ngr | tn | cionk | os
Second degree:
jane followed by e or i is written aye ayi: pay, pays, payd > paying, payer, payé.
In French monossyllables, closed jane may also be written ei or ai:
seint, feith, cleim | clæming > cleim, cleims, cleimd
saint, faith, claim | clæming > claim, claims, claimd
cf. Canterbury Tales: seint, feith, complein | baillif, traitour, fail(e)
pete
meet | evil | sardine | machine |
eat | clean | serene | caffeine |
meat | people | receive | priest |
field | seat | cede | least |
m | tvil | sard | nmash | n
t | cl | nser | ncaf | n
m | tp | pelrec | vpr | st
f | lds | tc | dl | st
First degree:
cf. Canterbury Tales: dreem, preest, heeth, ete > eet
pépel, mashéen: non-Nordic, non-monosyllable, stressed pete is rendered as é.
mike
time | write | tie | type |
fire | right | high | sign |
night | indict | guide | dry |
height | rite | dissect | icy |
t | mr | tt | t | p
f | err | th | s | n
n | tind | tgu | ddr |
h | tr | td | ssèctssy |
First degree:
cf. Canterbury Tales: tym, hy, lyk.
indít: non-Nordic, non-monosyllable, stressed mike is rendered as í.
Suffixal -y and -ly are not mike: ver-y, men-y, bis-y, yss-y, env-y, hy-ly, nyt-ly, lyk-ly.
In non-Nordic words, open mike is written ey:
by, dy, hy, ly, my, ty, wy (or hwy) | but: aley, deféy, aréy [awry]
tr-ey, cr-ey, pl-ey > retr-éy, decr-éy, supl-éy | but Nordic: by, dry, dy, fry
I > Y | ay, aye > y | eye, eyes/eyen > y, ys/yn | ice, iced, icing, icy > yss, yst, yssing, yssy
rose
boat | bowl | cold | oat |
bone | toe | flow | dote |
brooch | though | owe | don’t |
soul | coal | know | won’t |
b | tb | lc | ldt |
b | nt | fl | d | t
br | chth | d | nt|
s | lc | ln | w | nt
Second degree:
cf. also Canterbury Tales: cote > cœt.
rose followed by e or i is written owe owi: flœ, flœs, flœd > flowing | lœ > lower, lowest.
non-Nordic rose in final position is written o: tomâto, macho, cargo, tobàco.
hugh | Nordic
dew | few | mew | new |
you | youth | ewe | yew |
d | f | m | n |
th |
First degree:
cf. Canterbury Tales: new, mew.
You comes from Old English eow, to which ew bears more resemblance.
luke-hugh | non-Nordic
(1) closed monosyllable, (2) unstressed closed final
duke | produce | nude | tube |
cute | juice | rude | tune |
use | group | suit | mute |
to use | move | revenues | values |
(1) open monosyllable, (2) initial and middle, (3) stressed closed final, (4) unstressed open final, (5) stressed open final
view1 | duty2 | suitable2 | virtue4 |
beauty2 | polution2 | moving2 | menu4 |
union2 | nuance2 | assume3 | undue5 |
using2 | nuisance2 | reduce3 | eschew5 |
(1) closed monosyllable, (2) unstressed closed final
d | kpròd | sn | dt | b
c | tj | sr | dt | n
s | gr | ps | tm | t
to | zm | vreven | sval | s
Second degree:
luke and hugh are spelt the same way: rued [luke], muet [hugh].
luke occurs after j, l, r: jues, fruet, rued, fluet.
hugh occurs everywhere else: muet, nued, duek, cuet.
When luke occurs unexpectedly, it may be written ü[e]: müev, süet, sütabel.
When ue is a hiatus, it may be written uë: fluënt.
v | 1d | ty2s | tabel2 [ü]vert | 4
b | ty2pol | cion2m | ving2 [ü]men | 4
nion2 | n | ans2ass | m3und | 5
sing2 | n | ssans2red | s3esch | 5
First degree:
In (2), hugh/luke is only accentuated if followed by two consonants: nússans
For more information on the accentuation of u, cf. Differential Accentuation.
In (3), hugh/luke is accentuated: redús, assúm, acút.
In (5), hugh/luke is accentuated: undû/undú, revû/revú, eschû/eschú.

A decorative banner used by the Knighthood of the Bloo Bouk, among several others, unknown date. Books and keys have been a feature of banners since the foundation of the knighthood by Edward the Confessor in 1054.

C. Wise Vowels
Tense monophthongs and diphthongs that do not name the vowels of the alphabet26. A wise letter is a letter that does not fit a given set of didactic classification. Wise vowels are phonologically long but not counted among the classic “long” vowels.
ma | Nordic
ask | path | half | rather |
after | paths | last | can’t |
father | laugh | draft | glass |
aunt | calf | bath | fasten |
sk | p | thh | fr | dder
ter | p | ddsl | stc | nt
f | dderl | fdr | ftgl | s
nt | c | fb | thf | ssen
Third degree:
In writing that observes the bath-trap split, a unique assignment for ma is required.
Middle and Modern English do not provide authoritative references.
aw is recurrent in Modern English but not in the above use.
aa does not occur in Middle English and is not well established in Modern English.
ae and au are not available; à and ai are not Nordic.
aw is the closest Nordic assigner.
ma | non-Nordic
plant | grant | class | past |
chant | palm | pass | suave |
dance | calm | master | gala |
pl | ntgr | ntcl | ssp | st
ch | ntp | mp | sssu | v
d | nsc | mm | sterg | la
Fourth degree:
in principle â, cf. Differential Accentuation.
à is recurrent in Modern French, which shares most of the words in this group with Modern English.
au, which occurs in Middle English renditions such as plaunt and chaunt, is reserved for the more recurrent maud.
howie | Nordic
out | drown | bow | foul |
down | proud | house | row |
now | thou | bough | fowl |
how | sound | loud | sow |
t | dr | nb | f | l
d | npr | dh | sr |
n | th | b | f | l
h | s | ndl | ds |
Fourth degree:
ou is not available, as it is required for brooke (cf. Chaucer: coude, hence coud, woud, shoud).
au is the standard assignment in German, which shares the origin of most words in this group, cf.:
haus > Haus | sau > Sau | faul > faul | laud > laut | aut > aus
au is a remarkable assignment, as it provides the only direct phonological synchronisation.
howie followed by e or i is written awe awi: sawer, bawing.
howie | French only
count | round | prow | fountain |
doubt | sound | rout | crown |
amount | pound | bounty | abound |
allow | vow | county | found |
c | ntr | ndpr | f | ntan
d | ts | ndr | tcr | n
am | ntp | ndb | ntyab | nd
al | v | c | ntyf | nd
First degree:
howie followed by e or i is written owe owi: power, vowing.
joy
boy | anoint | choice | toil |
toy | moist | toilet | boil |
soil | coin | employ | envoy |
foil | noise | android | poison |
b | an | ntch | st | l
t | m | stt | letb | l
s | lc | nempl | env |
f | ln | zandr | dp | son
First degree:
joy is written oy in open final position: soy, envoy, emplóy.
maud | Nordic
broad | talk | flaw | awe |
bought | sought | raw | hawk |
taught | fought | law | water |
ought | naught | saw | daughter |
br | dt | kfl | |
b | ts | tr | h | k
t | tf | tl | w | ter
t | n | ts | d | ter
Second degree:
oo is assigned to luke (cf. Chaucer: moon) and oe to rose (rule of the added e).
au is assigned to howie.
oa is assigned to maud in Modern English, albeit rarely: broad.
maud | non-Nordic
cause | daunt | haunt | trauma |
sauce | pawn | clause | author |
salt | caught | fawn | pauper |
altar | fraud | nausea | raucous |
c | zd | nth | nttr | ma
s | sp | ncl | zthor |
s | ltc | tf | np | per
ltar | fr | dn | sear | cos
First degree
The Nordic key assigns au to howie: aut, haus, faul.
The non-Nordic key assigns au to maud: author, haunt, fault.
The Nordic key assigns ou to brooke: woud, foul, pout.
The non-Nordic key assigns ou to howie: rout, fount, pound.
luke | Nordic
boot | lose | womb | soot |
moon | shoe | through | cool |
soon | blue | two | sleuth |
food | true | goose | flew |
b | tl | zw | ms | t
m | nsh | thr | c | l
s | nbl | t | sl | th
f | dtr | g | sfl |
First degree:
cf. Canterbury Tales, 455-456:
Hir hosen weren of fyn scarlet reed,
Ful streite y-teyd, and shoos ful moiste and newe.

Monks and scholars at Malmesbury Abbey work on the Bloo Book at the time of King Alfred of Wessex (later illustration). Apart from producing biblical manuscripts in Old English, much of the work involved transcribing classical literature into Old English as well as copying celebrated Old English poetry, all under the Bloo Bouk keys.

D. Clear Vowels
R-controlled monophthongs and diphthongs27. In non-rhotic speech, a clear vowel is a vowel that absorbs the reduced r-sound. The name clear carries keir as an example.
28. In the Bloo Bouk, rhotic absorption may require the fixed accent on Nordic claire and keir. This is to avoid the confusion of clear ar and er with a coincidental encounter of pat and tess with r:
- no fixed accent: monosyllable or last syllable: mair, fair, cleer, apeer, compair, reveer
- fixed accent: non-monosyllable (initial/middle): clëring, päring, sërios, përiod, värios
- no clear vowels: pat and tess with r: perilos, mary, teribel, cary, meriment, Paris, very
mark
park | bark | sergeant | bazaar |
garden | car | clerk | guard |
art | catarrh | hearken | star |
party | arsenal | heart | farther |
p | kb | ks | gentbaz |
g | denc | cl | kg | d
t | kat | h | kenst |
p | tysenal | h | tf | dder
First degree:
In non-rhotic speech, mark is the same as ma.
claire | Nordic
pear | tear | hair | dare |
wear | their | there | fare |
care | where | daring | bear |
mare | scarce | they’re | bare |
p | t | h | d |
w | th | th | f |
k | w | d | ingb |
m | sk | sth | b |
Second degree
claire | non-Nordic
Final syllable or monosyllable
fair | prepare | prayer | despair |
air | impair | affair | flair |
repair | mayor | rare | compère |
heir | compare | unfair | square |
Initial and middle syllable
vary | Mary | gregarious | airy |
area | hilarous | rarity | variance |
various | parents | fairy | precarious |
arial | aeroplane | nefarious | repairing |
Final syllable or monosyllable
f | prep | pr | desp |
imp | af | fl | |
rep | m | r | comp |
comp | unf | squ |
First degree
cf. Canterbury Tales: fair(e), pair(e).
v | yM | ygreg | iosy |
ea | hil | iosr | ityv | ians
v | iosp | entsf | yprec | ios
ial | oplæn | nef | iosrep | ing
Fourth degree:
The fixed accent differentiates claire from pat, thus väry and cary, Märy and mary.
bert
stern | skirt | lurk | shirt |
herd | word | bird | perfect |
firm | girl | purse | murky |
heard | work | worm | world |
st | nsk | tl | ksh | t
h | dw | db | dp | fect
f | mg | lp | sm | ky
h | dw | kw | mw | ld
First degree:
cf. Canterbury Tales: erly, werk, werld
keir | Nordic
beer | here | ear | dear |
deer | gear | year | fear |
sheer | eerie | bier | tear |
beard | hear | rear | we’re |
b | h | d | |
d | g | y | f |
sh | y | b | t |
b | dh | r | w |
First degree:
cf. Canterbury Tales: beer, yeer, neer, heer.
cf. King Horn, 1216-1217: dere > deer:
Quen, so swete and dere,
Ich am Horn thin oghe.
keir | non-Nordic
Final syllable or monosyllable
pierce | frontier | severe | veer |
clear | revere | mere | cheer |
fierce | peer | sincere | engineer |
cashier | sphere | interfere | career |
Initial and middle syllable
serious | imperial | chimaera | appearance |
period | Siberia | superior | stereo |
series | inferior | adherence | theory |
clearing | clearance | interior | piercing |
Final syllable or monosyllable
p | sfront | sev | v |
cl | rev | m | ch |
f | sp | sinc | engin |
cash | sf | interf | car |
First degree:
cf. Canterbury Tales: cleer, cheer
s | iosimp | ialkym | aap | ans
p | iodSyb | iasup | iorst | eo
s | iesinf | ioradh | ansth | y
cl | ingcl | ansint | iorp | cing
Fourth degree:
The fixed accent differentiates keir from tess, thus përiod and perilos.
Some words allow more than one assignment: inhërent or inherent, impërial or imperial (rare).
george
ford | more | court | floor |
pork | board | course | soar |
fork | bord | coarse | war |
door | bored | sword | dinosaur |
f | dm | c | tfl |
p | kb | dc | ss |
f | kb | dc | sw |
d | b | ds | ddínos |
First degree:
In non-rhotic speech, george is the same as maud.
noor-purity
jury | tour | poor | during |
rural | lure | mature | endure |
sure | moor | plural | tourist |
cure | pure | fury | neurons |
j | yt | p | d | ing
r | all | mat | end |
sh | m | pl | alt | ist
c | p | f | yn | ons
First degree:
it would be too onerous to distinguish noor from purity graphically, therefore:
noor: jury, rural, lur, shur, tur, turist, during, mur, pur (or por), matúr, endúr (stressed final accentuated)
purity: cur, curat (cf. Canterbury Tales), pur, purifey, curios, spurios, fury, nurons.

Knights of the Bloo Bouk on their way to Winchester, mid 14th century. Note the banners with a white cross on a blue background, or vice-versa, a typical motive at the beginning of the resurgence of the knighthood.

E. Reduced Vowels
Altered lax monophthongs in unstressed positionjacob | schwa
about | carrot | barracks | local |
pepper | attach | trousers | curate |
lemon | mountain | bosom | enemy |
tomato | parliament | handsome | sermon |
baut | car | tbar | kslóc | l
pep | rtàch | traus | rscur | t
lem | nmount | nbous | men | my
t | mâtoparl | menthans | mserm | n
First degree:
No particular assigner is assigned to a vowel reduced to jacob. Customary letters remain in place.
If the reduced vowel is written with a digraph, the digraph is reduced to a monograph, keeping the core letter:
mountain > mountan, parliament > parlament.
little nick
livid | naked | knowledge | circuit |
timid | wanted | language | biscuit |
finish | washes | marriage | minute |
learning | houses | employ | lettuce |
liv | dnæk | dnol | ggcerk | t
tim | dwont | dlanngü | ggbisk | t
fin | shwosh | smar | ggmin | t
lern | nghauss | smploy | let | s
First degree:
No particular assigner is assigned to a vowel reduced to little nick. Customary letters remain in place.
little brooke
omission | awful | influence | into |
mission | oaf | linfl | ensint |
First degree:
No particular assigner is assigned to a vowel reduced to little brooke. Customary letters remain in place.
Vowels in unstressed position may keep their quality unaltered:
abstract > little pat
perfect > little tess
zenith > little nick
nylon > little bob
hicup > little doug
educæt > little brooke.
All of the above are full vowels.
If their unstressed quality is altered (weakened), they may become: jacob, little nick, little brooke:
jacob > baraks, peper, carot
little nick > lanngüagg, needed, timid, letus
little brooke > oaful, influens, educácion, into.

Table of Assignments
Vowel | Nordic | non-Nordic |
---|---|---|
pat | a | a |
tess | e | e |
nick | i | i |
bob | o | o |
doug | u | u |
brooke | ou | ui |
jane | æ | á | æ |
pete | ee | é | ee |
mike | y | í | y |
rose | œ | ó | œ |
hugh | ew | u | ue |
ma | aw | à |
howie | au | ou |
joy | — | oi |
maud | oa | au |
luke | oo | u | ue |
mark | ar | ar |
claire | ear | air | är |
bert | er | er |
keir | eer | eer | ër |
george | or | or |
noor | ur | ur |
