S. short _i_ was much the same as in modern
English; but that of the short _y_ was different, as it denoted the
"mutated" form of short _u_ for which German has a special symbol,
viz. _{ue}_, the sound intended being that of the German _ue_ in
_schuetzen_, to protect. In the latter case, Kentish usually has the
vowel _e_, as in the modern Kentish _pet_, a pit, and in the surname
_Petman_ (at Margate), which means _pitman_; and as the A.S. for "sin"
was _synn_ (dat. _synne_), the Kentish form was _zenne_, since Middle
English substantives often represent the A.S. dative case. The Kentish
plural had the double form, _zennes_ and _zennen_, both of which occur
in the _Ayenbite_, as might have been expected.
The poet Gower, who completed what may be called the first edition of
his poem named the _Confessio Amantis_ (or Confession of a Lover) in
1390, was a Kentish man, and well acquainted with the Kentish dialect.
He took advantage of this to introduce, occasionally, Kentish forms
into his verse; apparently for the sake of securing a rime more
easily. See this discussed at p.
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