{wirdet}; {siht}, _he sees_,
{s[e:]ht}, _ye see_, older {sihet}, {s[e:]het}; and often in forms like
{gilt}, {vint}, {spricht}, {sticht} beside {giltet}, {vindet},
{sprichet}, {stichet}.

5. The superlative of adjectives often has double forms, the one with
the loss of the medial {e}, and the other with the loss of the final
{e}, as {beste}, _best_, {[e]rste}, _first_, {gr[oe]ste}, _greatest_,
{leste}, _last_, {min(ne)ste}, _least_, {wir(se)ste}, _worst_, beside
{be[zz]est(e)}, {[e]rest(e)}, {gr[oe][z]est(e)}, {le[zz]est(e)}, {minnest(e)},
{wirsest(e)}, OHG. {be[zz]isto}, {[e]risto}, {gr[o][z]isto}, {le[zz]isto},
{minnisto}, {wirsisto}.

6. In the unstressed forms of dissyllables, as adv. {ane}, {abe},
{mite}, {obe} beside the prepositions {an}, _on_, {ab}, _of_, {mit},
_with_, {ob}, _over_; dat. sing. {d[e:]me}, {w[e:]me}, {ime}, beside {d[e:]m},
{w[e:]m}, {im}; {unde}, _and_, {wande}, _for_, _because_, beside {und}
({unt}), {wan(d)}; {h[e:]rre}, {vrouwe}, beside {h[e:]r}, {vrou} before proper
names and titles.

7. The {e} in the unaccented verbal prefixes {be-}, {ge-} often
disappeared before {l, n, r}, as {bl[i]ben}, _to remain_, {gl[i]ch}, _like_,
{glit}, _member_, {glouben}, _to believe_, {gn[a]de}, _favour_, {gnanne},
_namesake_, {gnuoge}, _many_, {grade}, _quick_, {gr[e:]ch}, _straight_,
beside {bel[i]ben}, {gel[i]ch}, {gelit}, {gelouben}, {gen[a]de}, {genanne},
{genuoge}, {gerade}, {ger[e:]ch}; it disappeared before vowels during the
OHG. period, as {bange}, _anxious_: {ange}, _anxiously_, {g[e:][zz]an} p.p.
of {[e:][zz]an}, _to eat_, {gunnan}, MHG. {gunnen}, {g[u:]nnen}, _to grant_.

3. UMLAUT.

Sec. 10.

By umlaut is meant the modification (palatalization) of an accented
vowel through the influence of an {[)i]} or {j} which originally stood in
the following syllable. The only vowel which underwent this change in
OHG. was {a}, which became close {e} (Sec. 2, note).

The change is first met with in OHG. monuments about the middle of the
eighth century. In the ninth century the process was practically
complete except when the {a} was followed by certain consonant
combinations which prevented umlaut from taking place. These consonant
combinations were:--

1. {ht}, {hs}, or consonant + {w}, as {maht}, _power_, pl. {mahti;
wahsit}, _he grows_, inf. {wahsan}; {bi-scatwen} from {*-scatwjan}, _to
shade_.

2. In Upper German before {l} + consonant, before {hh}, {ch} (= Germanic
{k}), and often before