The v sound shifted to a b sound, but again, this change did not affect English. Therefore, German has the word eben while English has even . Similarly, the y became a g . Today German contains the word sagen , while the English cognate is say . Initial or final z shifted to a t .
Cognates are words in two different languages that show evidence of a common origin.
They may no longer have the same meaning, but if the two words sprang from the same root, they are cognates.