One of the characteristics of Old and Middle English (I mention both because they have letters in common and because there is a transitional period between them where almost anything could be retained from the older style for a while) is that it has more letters than many alphabets. Not only does it include thorn and wyn, but also w (sometimes superseding wyn, sometimes both used), k, and frequent use of "y". Sometimes the "y" is substituted for "i", sometimes it is used together with "i" (i.e., sometimes a distinction is made between them).
Also, if you've looked at Middle English scripts, you might notice that Anglicana in particular has a funny "e" that looks more like an "o" to modern eyes (some people struggle with reading this letter). I thought it was just a variant "e" shape at first (years ago) and then I came across a manuscript that specifically used modern "e" in some instances and the o-shaped "e" in others and it jumped out at me that it was a pronunciation difference (you could see this by pronouncing the words in your head) and then the lightbulb went on. The funny-e (the o-shaped e) is like Scandinavian ø which is often transcribed as "e" (as in names) because the sounds are not super far apart.
That made it much easier to read Anglicana script. All I had to do was think ø when I saw the funny-e shape and the words made sense.
The consequence of this is a large working alphabet. In Danish, they have the letters that are familiar in English but also ae ø and å, three extra letters at the end of the alphabet that are integral to many words. In Middle English, some scribes basically included ø as an extra letter in cases where they used both e and ø (the majority do not seem to have done this, but I have seen it).
So, applying these thoughts to the VMS... it's difficult enough to map VMS characters to the Latin alphabet. In Middle English, there are numerous extra letters/sounds to consider.
Also, if you've looked at Middle English scripts, you might notice that Anglicana in particular has a funny "e" that looks more like an "o" to modern eyes (some people struggle with reading this letter). I thought it was just a variant "e" shape at first (years ago) and then I came across a manuscript that specifically used modern "e" in some instances and the o-shaped "e" in others and it jumped out at me that it was a pronunciation difference (you could see this by pronouncing the words in your head) and then the lightbulb went on. The funny-e (the o-shaped e) is like Scandinavian ø which is often transcribed as "e" (as in names) because the sounds are not super far apart.
That made it much easier to read Anglicana script. All I had to do was think ø when I saw the funny-e shape and the words made sense.
The consequence of this is a large working alphabet. In Danish, they have the letters that are familiar in English but also ae ø and å, three extra letters at the end of the alphabet that are integral to many words. In Middle English, some scribes basically included ø as an extra letter in cases where they used both e and ø (the majority do not seem to have done this, but I have seen it).
So, applying these thoughts to the VMS... it's difficult enough to map VMS characters to the Latin alphabet. In Middle English, there are numerous extra letters/sounds to consider.