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Great Vowel Shift

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The Great Vowel Shift was a series of changes in the pronunciation of the English language that took place primarily between 1400 and 1700, beginning in southern England and today having influenced effectively all dialects of English. Through this vowel shift, the pronunciation of all Middle English long vowels was changed. Some consonant sounds changed as well, particularly those that became silent; the term Great Vowel Shift is sometimes used to include these consonant changes.English spelling started being standardised in the 15th and 16th centuries, and the Great Vowel Shift is the major reason English spellings now often deviate considerably from how they represent pronunciations. The Great Vowel Shift was first studied by Otto Jespersen (1860–1943), a Danish linguist and Anglicist, who coined the term.

Great Vowel Shift - Wikipedia Jump to content From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Pronunciation change in English between 1350 and 1700 History and description of English pronunciation Historical stages Old English Middle English General development In Old English In Scots Development of vowels A Close back Close front Diphthongs Great Vowel Shift Open back Pre-L Pre-R Development of consonants Single consonants Clusters Variable features Cot – caught merger Drawl Flapping Flat A H-dropping L-vocalization NG R Rhoticity T-glottalization TH WH Related topics History of English Spelling v t e

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