Velar Fronting

LotR AppE (I)

• C has always the value of k even before e and i: celeb ‘silver’ should be pronounced as keleb
• G has only the sound of g in give, get

PE19/71 (3.iii)

It was not markedly fronted by adjacent front vowels e, i, at least no more than the corresponding stop k (or ck in English thick).

For fronting of /k/ in thick consider:

Compare English /k/ in “peak” /pik/ and “keep” /kip/ […] You should find that /k/ undergoes greater influence (alteration of place of articulation) from the following vowel than from a preceding vowel (→Multiple Articulation and Coarticulation).