7§ Phonology [§§ 164-5 woman ; qiþan, O.Icel. kveða, OE. cweþan, OS. queSan, OHG. quedan, to say ; and similarly qiman, to come ; riqis, darkness; naqaþs, naked; sigqan, to sink; sagq, he sank.
		t? 164. Prim. Germanic χ had already become an aspirate initially before vowels during the prim. Germanic period (§ 148). It probably also became an aspirate in Gothic medially between vowels. Examples are : — haban, O.Icel. hafa, OE. habban, OHG. habēn, to have; faíhu, OE. feoh, OHG. fihu, cattle, property ; and similarly haírtō, heart ; hafjan, to raise ; hunđ, hundred ; taíhun, ten ; þeihan, to thrive. Germanic χ (written h, and pronounced like NHG. ch) remained in Gothic in other positions, as hláifs, loaf, bread ; hliftus, thief; hráins, pure, clean ; dauhtar, daughter ; filhan, to hide, bury; nahts, night; jah, and; þáih, he throve. NOTE.— The final -h in unaccented particles was often assimilated to the initial consonant of the following word, as wasub· ban = wasuh-ban, anbarub-ban = anbaruh-ban, jan-ni «= jah-ní, jas-sa ·= jah-sa, nib-ban ·= nih-ban.
				§ 165. Initial Germanic xw (OE. OS. OHG. hw, O.Icel. hv) became hr (§ 19) in Gothic, as luas, OE. hwā, OS. hwē, OHG. hwer, who?; hreila, O.Icel. hvīl, OE. hwīl, OS. OHG. hwīla, space of time ; and similarly hraírban, to walk ; hraþar, which of two ; hreits, white · hiōpan, to boast. Medial and final xw also became hr in Gothic, but in O.Icel. and the West Germanic languages it became χ. For examples see § 143. NOTE. — The reasons for assuming that Goth, hr was a simple sound, and not a compound one composed of h + w, are:--