Слайд 1NE Phonetic Changes:
the Great Vowel Shift
Слайд 2The Great Vowel Shift is the major event in the
historical development of English vowels. The Great Vowel Shift involved
the change of all ME long monophthongs and some of the diphthongs.
Слайд 3The Great Vowel Shift is the series of changes of
vowels between the 14-th and 18-th centuries. All long vowels
became closer or were diphthongized.
Слайд 4These changes can be called “independent” because they were not
caused by definite phonetic conditions in the syllable or in
the word. These changes affected regularly every stressed long vowel in any position.
Слайд 7Thus the essence of the shift is the narrowing of
all the long vowels and diphthongization of the narrow long
ones.
Слайд 8The Great Vowel Shift was not followed by any regular
spelling changes which contribute greatly to the present discrepancy between
the spoken and written English.
Слайд 9During the shift even the names of some English letters
were changed.
Слайд 12The Great Vowel Shift didn’t add any new sounds to
the vowel system. But it was the most profound and
comprehensive change in the history of English vowels:
Слайд 13every long vowel and some diphthongs were “shifted” and the
pronunciation of all the words with these sounds changed
Слайд 14
Changes of Short Vowels in Early NE
The short vowels were
more stable than the long vowels. Only two short vowels
(out of 5) underwent certain changes. These are /a/ and /u/
Слайд 15ME /a/ normally changed into /x/
ME cat /kat/ - NE
cat /kxt/
ME glad /glQd/ - NE glad /glxd/
ME man /man/
- NE man /mxn/
Слайд 16After /w/ sound /a/ was rounded and coincided with /O/
OE
wxs > ME was > NE was /wOz/
Слайд 17Short /V/ was delabialized in the 17-th century and it
developed into a new sound /A/
e.g. cup, son, sun,
up
Слайд 18The same sound is observed in “blood, flood, mother” in
which /H/ was shortened (before the 17-th century).
ME blod >
NE /blHd/ > /blud/ > /blAd/
Слайд 19A preceding labial consonant usually presented the delabialization of /u/
as in: full, pull, bull.
Слайд 20
Diphthongs
ME diphthongs /aI/ and /eI/ were gradually levelled under /eI/,
the spelling was ay/ai
ME day – NE day
ME wey
– NE way
ME seil – NE sail
Слайд 21ME /aV/ was monophthongised and became /L/ as in “paw,
law, cause, pause". ME /eV/ > /IV/ which soon became
/jH/ as in “new, dew, view”.
Слайд 22The sound /u/ in French loan-words was usually replaced by
/Iu/, later /jH/. This is the reason why letter u
is called /jH/, the letter q - /kjH/.
Слайд 23
Consonants
One of the most important changes of the 15-th century
was the voicing of /f/, /s/, /T/, /C/ and /ks/
in weakly stressed words and syllables.
Слайд 24This phenomenon is somewhat similar to that discovered by
K. Verner in the old Germanic languages.
Слайд 25ME /f/ > /v/ “of”, active (ME actif)
ME /s/ >
/z/ is, his, comes
ME /T/ > /D/ with, the, they
Слайд 26ME /C/ > /G/ knowledge
(ME knowlenche), Greenwich /'grInIG/
ME /ks/
> /gz/ examine, exhibit, exact
Слайд 27ME /x/ (written as gh) has either been lost (mostly
before /t/) or it has changed to /f/ (mostly when
final)
Слайд 28ME daughter /daVxtqr/ - E /dLtq/
eight /eixt/ - E /
eit/
ME laugh /laVx/ > /laVf/ > /lRf/
Слайд 29Short /I/ preceding /x/ was usually lengthened when the latter
was lost
ME night /nIxt/ > /nJt/ > /naIt/
Слайд 30Final /b/ has been lost after /m/: climb, dumb, comb
Слайд 31Final /ng/ has been reduced to /N/
ME thing /Ting/ >
NE /TIN/
Слайд 32Initial /k/ or /g/ before /n/ and /w/ before /r/
has been lost: knife, wrong
Слайд 33In the 15-th century /d/ before /r/ often changed into
/D/:
ME fader > E father
ME weder > E weather
Слайд 34New sibilants developed in the 17-th century from
the combinations
s
sj > S
z + j zj > Z
t tj > S
d dj > G
Слайд 35ME /nQsjon/ > /neIsjqn/ > /neISn/