Phonological change

Created by: Destiny Tait
Created on: 28-02-19 10:54

Pronunciation is always changing

The most significant shift in pronunciation occurred between 1400 and 1600. During this period the long vowels of Middle English changed a lot. This transition is called the Great Vowel Shift.

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What is the Great Vowel Shift?

A dramatic and important example of sound change. Over a period of approx 200 years the pronunciation of long vowel sounds changed. They were replaced with sounds similar to those we have today.

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Middle English words vs. Modern English words

toe - to. weef - wife. moos - mouse. bayn - been. heer -her.

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The great vowel shift was the major phonological difference between Middle English and Early Modern English.

No - one really knows for definite what brought about this change but various theories have been put forward.

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One theory is that the new vowels were a way of rejecting French pronunciation patterns and adopting ones that were associated with a prestige form of English.

i - ai = e.g. 'teem' to 'time'. e - i = e.g. 'sae' to 'see'. a - ei = e.g. 'naam' to 'name'. o - u = e.g. 'rote' to 'root'. u - au = e.g. 'hoos' to 'house'.

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Why was it important?

The effects of the shift were not entirely uniform, differences in degree of vowel shift can sometimes be detected in regional dialects both in written and spoken English. The surprising speed and the exact cause of the shift are continuing mysteries

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Some theories attach the cause to the mass immigration to the South East England after the Black Death, where the difference in accents led to certain groups modifying their speech to allow for a standard pronunciation of vowel sounds.

The different dialects and the rise of a standardized middle class in London led to changes in pronunciation, which continued to spread out from London.

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Other theories

Other theories point to the sudden social mobility after the Black Death, with people from lower levels in society moving to higher levels (the pandemic hit the aristocracy too).

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Why would this lead to change?

This may have caused a change to the 'prestige accent' of English, either by making pronunciation more French become 'in fashion'. Or 'en vogue' as le French would say.

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or by changing it in some way, perhaps by hyper-correction to something thought to be 'more English'.

(England was at war with France for much of this period).

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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

A dramatic and important example of sound change. Over a period of approx 200 years the pronunciation of long vowel sounds changed. They were replaced with sounds similar to those we have today.

Back

What is the Great Vowel Shift?

Card 3

Front

toe - to. weef - wife. moos - mouse. bayn - been. heer -her.

Back

Card 4

Front

No - one really knows for definite what brought about this change but various theories have been put forward.

Back

Card 5

Front

i - ai = e.g. 'teem' to 'time'. e - i = e.g. 'sae' to 'see'. a - ei = e.g. 'naam' to 'name'. o - u = e.g. 'rote' to 'root'. u - au = e.g. 'hoos' to 'house'.

Back

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Phonological change