of v) to represent the w sounds. The characters w and ỽ represent both w and w̯ almost indifferently. Theoretically perhaps w stood for w̯, and the r.b. scribe wishing to distinguish between gw̯ŷr 'men' and gŵɥr 'knows' writes them gwyr, gỽyr respectively, r.g. 1118; there seems to be a slight predominance of the w̯ value for w, but no systematic distinction is made between the sounds, whole pages frequently occurring, e.g., in w.m., where ỽ is used exclusively for both.
☞ In this work Late Ml. W. ỽ is transcribed w, as nothing is gained by reproducing a distinction which would often be misleading if taken to have a phonetic significance.
(3) In Mn. W. the sound is represented by w.
G.R. uses ụ; and J.D.R. a peculiar character based on ɓ, a late script form of ỽ; § 7 ii.
§ 15. i. (1) In Late Mn. W. the sound of u, long, medium, and short, is the same as the clear sound of y, § 16 i; thus the words hûn 'sleep' and hŷn 'older' have now absolutely the same sound. But in O. and Ml. W. u had the sound of the French u, that is, an i pronounced with rounded lips. In accented syllables it retained this sound down to the end of the 16th cent., as is shown by the fact that J.D.R. (pp. 33, 34) describes both u and ɥ, and distinguishes between them with a phonetic truth which could only be derived from actual acquaintance with both as living sounds.
(2) In the final unaccented syllable the original u sound became ɥ as early as the 14th cent.; see ZfCP. iv 118. Hence we find u and y confused from the 14th century on. Kymry 'the Welsh, Wales' often appeared as Cymru; see y Cymru 'the Welsh', G.R. p. [v] ; M.Ỻ. (3 Ader.—Title). Later, the misspelling Cymru came to be used for 'Wales', the true form Cymry being retained as the pl. of Cymro. In the 3rd pl. of prepositions, arnunt 'on them', etc., in dywedud 'to say', anoddun 'deep', credadun 'believer', arofun 'intend', munud 'minute', y is in Late Mn. W. wrongly written for u; for testun 'text', ysgrythur 'scripture', see § 82 iii (3). The converse error was frequent in the 16th cent., Dr. M. writing fellu, i fynu, gorthrymmudd, etc.
The view that the distinction survived in monosyllables down to a late date is corroborated by the fact that out of about 140 monos. in use containing either u or ɥ only one, crud 'cradle' (crut Ỻ.A. 72, r.p. 1418), is now commonly misspelt; and even this misspelling is due to Pughe's bringing the word under the same head as cryd
