This paper analyses based alliteration in the Poetic Edda and uses this analysis as a tool to uncoverwhether the language contained the phonemes /r̥/, /l/̥ , /n̥/, and /ʍ/. Data derived from this showsthat , , , and could quite freely alliterate with themselves, among themselves, andwith + vowel, providing strong evidence against the existence of the voiceless phonemes, andstrongly indicates that had not yet undergone assimilation at this stage. Moreover, if theassertion of the first grammarian is to be believed - that /h/ did not change its articulation in anyenvironment, and on the basis of runic evidence, which shows that hagall often behaves similarly tofé, together with the alliterative behaviour of /h/, it is argued that /h/ in this stage of the languagecould have had a velar place of articulation in all environments, i.e. x.
Cornelius B Vestvik (Mon,) studied this question.