6 Phonology [§§ 4-5 vowel-system will be given in the following paragraphs. Our chief sources for ascertaining the approximate quality and quantity of the Gothic simple vowels and diphthongs are:—(i) The pronunciation of the Greek and Latin alphabets as they obtained in the fourth century; the former of which was taken by Ulfilas as the basis for representing his own native sound-system. (2) A comparison of the Gothic spelling of Greek loan-words and proper names occurring in Ulfilas with the original Greek words. (3) The spelling of Gothic proper names found in Greek and Latin records of the fourth to the eighth century. (4) The occasional fluctuating orthography of one and the same word in the biblical translation. (5) Special sound-laws within the Gothic language itself. (6) The comparison of Gothic with the other Old Germanic languages. § 4. a had the same sound as the a in NHG. mann, as ahtáu, eight; akrs, field; dags, day; namō, name; giba, gift; waárda, words. a had the same sound as the a in English father. In native Gothic words it occurs only in the combination ah (see § 59), as fāhan, to catch, seize; brāhta, / brought; þāhō, clay. § 6. ē was a long close e-sound, strongly tinctured with the vowel sound heard in NHG. sie, she. Hence we sometimes find el (that is í), and occasionally i, written where we should etymologically expect ē, and vice versa. These fluctuations occur more frequently in Luke than elsewhere; examples are: qeins = qēns, Luke ii. 5; faheiđ = fahēþ, Luke ii. ίο. spēwands = speiwands, Mark vii. 33; miþþanē = miþþanei, Luke ii. 43; izē = izei, Mark ix. i. birusjōs es bērusjōs, Luke ii. 41; duatsniwun = duat-snēwun, Mark vi. 53. usđrēbi = usdribi, Mark ν. ίο. Examples are: jēr, year; slēpan, to sleep; nēmum, we took; swē, as; hiđrē, hither.