The Great Vowel Shift.

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 also changed, particularly those that became silent; the term Great
Vowel Shift is sometimes used to include these consonantal changes.

The standardization of English spelling began in the 15th and 16th centuries; the Great Vowel
Shift is the major reason English spellings now often deviate considerably from how they
represent pronunciations.

Causes of The Vowel Shift.

• Population migration: This is the most accepted theory; some scholars have argued that
the rapid migration of peoples to the southeast of England from the east and central Midlands of
England following the ‘Black Death’ produced a clash of dialects that made Londoners
distinguish their speech from the immigrants who came from other English cities by changing
their vowel system.

• French loan words: Others argue that the influx of French loanwords was a major factor
in the shift.

• Middle-class hypercorrection: Yet others assert that because of the increasing prestige
of French pronunciations among the middle classes (perhaps related to the English aristocracy's
switching from French to English around this time), a process of hypercorrection may have
started a shift that unintentionally resulted in vowel pronunciations that are inaccurate imitations
of French pronunciations.
• War with France: An opposing theory states that the wars with France and general anti-
French sentiments caused hypercorrection deliberately to make English sound less like French.

Word Vowel pronunciation

Late Middle English

before the GVS Modern English

after the GVS

bite [iː] [ɑj]

meet [eː] [ɪj]

meat [ɛː]

serene

mate [aː] [ɛj]

out [uː] [aw]

boot [oː] [ʉw]

boat [ɔ] [əw]

Stone

Word Diphthong pronunciation

Late Middle English

before the GVS Modern English

after the GVS

day [æɪ] [ɛj]

they

boy [ɔɪ] [oj]

law [ɑʊ] [oː]

dew [ɛʊ]

know[ɔʊ] [əw]

The words had very different pronunciations in Middle English from those in Modern English.

• Long i in bite was pronounced as /iː/ so Middle English bite sounded similar to Modern
English beet /biːt/.

• Long e in meet was pronounced as /eː/ so Middle English meet sounded similar to
Modern English mate /meɪt/

• Long a in mate was pronounced as /aː/, with a vowel similar to the broad a of spa.

• Long o in boot was pronounced as /oː/, similar to modern oa in General American boat
/boʊt/.

In addition, Middle English had:

• Long /ɛː/ in beat, like modern short e in bed but pronounced longer.

• Long /ɔː/ in boat, with a vowel similar to aw in Modern English law.

• Long /uː/ in mouse, similar to Modern English moose.

Key features that characterize The Great Vowel Shift.

1. Timing:

The Great Vowel Shift is generally thought to have begun in the late 14th century and continued
into the 18th century. Different vowels underwent shifts at different times and rates.

2. Nature of the Shift:

Long vowels underwent a systematic change in their articulation. The most notable change
was the raising of long vowels, particularly those that were pronounced towards the back of
the mouth.

3. Direction of Shift:
Vowels that were historically pronounced lower in the mouth shifted towards a higher position.
For example, the Middle English long vowel /iː/ (as in "bite") shifted to /aɪ/ (as in "beet"), and
/uː/ (as in "house") shifted to /aʊ/ (as in "house").

4. Chain Shifts:

The Great Vowel Shift involved a series of interconnected changes. The shifting of one vowel
often triggered changes in nearby vowels, creating a chain reaction that contributed to the overall
restructuring of the vowel system.

5. Regional Variation:

The Great Vowel Shift did not occur uniformly across all dialects of Middle English. Different
regions and social groups experienced the shift at different rates, resulting in regional variations
in pronunciation.

6. Impact on Spelling:

The shift in pronunciation was not immediately reflected in the spelling of words. As a result, the
spelling of many words in English remained based on the pronunciation of an earlier stage of the
language. This contributes to the irregularities in English spelling.

7. Social and Cultural Factors:

While the exact causes of the Great Vowel Shift are not fully understood, linguistic, social, and
cultural factors likely played a role. Shifts in social dynamics, contact with other languages, and
changes in education and literature may have contributed to the changes in pronunciation.

8. Long-Term Effects:

The Great Vowel Shift marked a crucial phase in the evolution of the English language. The
resulting vowel system laid the foundation for the pronunciation of Early Modern English, which
eventually developed into the Modern English we use today.

The Great Vowel Shift is an essential aspect of the historical phonology of English, and its
effects are still evident in the modern pronunciation and spelling of words.
 Grimm's law

Grimm's Law is a fundamental principle in historical linguistics that describes a systematic and
regular set of sound shifts that occurred in the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language, leading to
the development of the Germanic languages. The law was formulated by Jakob Grimm, one of
the Brothers Grimm known for their collection of fairy tales, in the early 19th century.

Grimm's Law focuses on changes in the pronunciation of consonants, particularly the shift from
voiced aspirated stops in PIE to voiceless stops in the Germanic languages. The law identifies
three main sets of shifts, each affecting a specific group of consonants:

1. First Consonant Shift (First Sound Shift):

• This shift involves the transformation of three sets of voiceless stops in PIE into their
voiced counterparts in the Germanic languages. The shifts are as follows:

• Voiceless stops in PIE: p, t, k

• Corresponding voiced stops in Germanic: b, d, g

• For example:

• PIE pater → English father

• PIE tréyes → English three

• PIE ḱer- → English heart

2. Second Consonant Shift (High German Sound Shift):

• This shift involves changes to the Proto-Germanic voiced stops resulting from the First
Consonant Shift. The shifts are as follows:

• Voiced stops in Proto-Germanic: b, d, g

• Corresponding fricatives in High German: p, t, k

• For example:

• Proto-Germanic dagaz → Old High German tag (day)

• Proto-Germanic wegaz → Old High German weg (way)

• Verner's Law is a modification of Grimm's Law and explains the circumstances under
which the voiceless fricatives resulting from the Second Consonant Shift became voiced. The
voicing of these fricatives occurred in unstressed syllables and after certain conditions outlined
by Verner's Law.

• For example:

• Proto-Germanic wulfaz → Old English wulf (wolf) [original f became v due to Verner's
Law]

Grimm's Law is crucial in understanding the historical development of the Germanic languages,
including Old English, Old Norse, Old High German, and others. It provides insights into the
systematic nature of sound changes in the evolution of languages and is a foundational concept
in historical and comparative linguistics. The law also played a key role in establishing the
broader understanding of the Indo-European language family and its historical relationships.