Note 429 — Chapter IV
Reading edition
How closely, may be judged by comparing the following selection with the description of Holyband's rules on p. 142, supra.
How do you pronounce g before n? Comment prononcez vous g devant n?
Gn is hardly pronounced by Englishmen. Gn se prononce difficilement par les Anglois.
Notwithstanding if they will take heed how they do pronounce minion ... it will be more easy for them to pronounce it: for though we do write the selfesame words with gn, neverthelesse there is small difference between their pronunciation and ours: let them take heed only to sound g in the same syllable that n is, and then they shall not finde any hardnesse in his pronunciation, as mignon ... mi-gnon. Toutesfois s'ils veulent prendre garde comment ils prononcent minion, onion, companion, il leur sera plus aisé de le prononcer: car encore que nous escrivions ces mesmes mots par gn, neantmoins il y a peu de difference de leur prononciation a la nostre: seulement qu'ils prennent garde à mettre g en la mesme syllable que n, et ils ne trouveront aucune difficulté en sa prononciation, comme mi-gnon. . . .