Changes of stressed vowels in Middle English and New English

1
Changes of stressed vowels in Middle English
and New English
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1. ????- ?? ????-

• ?????? ?????????? ?? ???. ??????????
  ???????????? ???????? ??????? ????- ?? ????-

3
????- ?? ????- (??????????)

• ?????? ??????? ??????????? ?????????? ????-
  ?????? ?????????? ??????????? ???????? ?????? ??
  ?????? ????????????? ??????. ???????, ?????????
  ????????? ??????? ???? ?????? ????- ??????????.

4

• Insular Minuscule Script is replaced by the
  Continental Minuscule Script

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? - replaced by the continental g? - g g
j ?

• Early ME
• g g d?
• 3 j X
• ?eon?, ?eard

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? - replaced by the continental g

• Late ME
• 3 j - y
• young, yard, year
• 3 X gh
• light lixt, night nixt, right rixt

7
Runic letters fell into disuse Þ ð - th

• j k v q
• g g d?
• c k s

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u v uf is no more used for v

• Orthographic reform of the XVII c. normalised the
  use of u and v
• u u
• v v

9
Y became an equivalent of i at the end of a word

• boy, toy, lorry, trolley

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u o munuc monk munk
lufian loven luven sune
sone sune

• boy, toy, lorry, trolley

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Wide use of digraphs

• ou u
• OE hus ME hous hus
• OE ut ME out ut
• OE mus ME mous mus
• ie e
• chief t?ef thief ?ef

12
Wide use of digraphs

• ch t?
• sh ?
• OE scip skip ME ship ??p
• dg d?
• wh OE hw
• OE hwæt ME what hwat

13
Long vowels replaced by double letters

• OE fot ME foot fot
• OE boc ME book bok
• OE fet ME feet fet
• OE toþ ME tooth to?

14
????- ?? ????- (??????????)

• ?????? ??????? ??????????? ?????????? ????-
  ?????? ?????????? ??????????? ???????? ?????? ??
  ?????? ????????????? ??????. ???????, ?????????
  ????????? ??????? ???? ?????? ????- ??????????.

15
Runic letters fell into disuse Þ ð - th

• j k v q
• g g d?
• c k s

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Qualitative vowel changes in ME

• OE y ME I
• OE cynin? - ME king
• OE fyrst ME first
• OE mys ME mice

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Qualitative vowel changes in ME

• OE a ME o ? spelling oa
• OE bat ME boat b?t
• OE ac ME oak ?k
• 2 long Os o spelling oo
• ? spelling oa

18
Qualitative vowel changes in ME

• OE ea ea ME ? spelling ea
• OE east - ME east ?st
• 2 long Es e spelling ee
• ? spelling ea

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Quantitative vowel changes in early ME

• Short vowels lengthened before two homorganic
  consonants sonorant plosive
• OE cild ME child t?ild
• OE findan ME finden find?n
• OE climban ME climben klimb?n

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Quantitative vowel changes in early ME

• All other groups of two or more consonants
  produced the reverse effect, they made the
  preceding long vowels short
• OE fifti? - ME fifty fifti
• OE fedde ME fedde fedd?

21
Quantitative vowel changes in early ME

• Short vowels became long in open syllables
• OE nama ME name nam?
• OE mete ME mete met?

22
Qualitative vowel changes in New English

• ME a NE æ
• ME man man NE man mæn
• ME wa NE wo
• ME was was NE was woz
• ME water water NE water wot?

23
Qualitative vowel changes in New English

• ME u NE ?
• ME hut hut NE hut h?t
• ME loven luven NE love l?v
• ME X j NE I
• night niXt nijt niit nit

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Quantitative vowel changes in New English

• Lengthening before ss, st, nt, ft
• Shortening before ?, d, t, k
• ME plant plant NE plant plant
• ME after after NE after aft?
• ME deed ded NE dead ded
• ME book bok buk buk
• ME breath bre? NE breath bre?

25
Great Vowel Shift

• table tabl? teibl
• maken mak?n meik
• stone st?n st?un
• open ?p?n ?up?n