NEW ENGLISH PHONETICAL AND GRAPHICAL SYSTEMS

The vocalic system of Early New English as compared to Middle English

, 301

Phonetic changes
The most significant phonetic change of this period was the Great Vowel Shift, beginning in the 15th century. It left its imprint on the entire vowel system of the MnE period. The essence of the shift was the narrowing of all ME long vowels, and diphthongization of the narrowest long ones: [i: > ai], [u: > au]. Thus, all items of the shift appear as elements of a single process affecting all ME long vowels. But if we compare the system of long vowels which existed before the shift with that which arose from the shift, we can state that there appeared no new sounds, that is, no sounds that had not existed in ME. This will be clear by the following tables:
Middle English Sound [ei] [i:] [e:] [ai] [ou] [u:] [au] Example wey time seen sayde bowe hous drawen Modern English Sound [ei] [i:] [e:] [ai] [ou] [u:] [au] Example make see sea time go moon house

Influence of -R
When the long vowel was followed by the consonant [r], the results of the shift were somewhat different. Articulation of [r] favours a broader pronunciation of the preceding vowel, and in so far counteracts the tendency of the shift. The following table shows the specific features of the shift before [r], as compared with other consonants.

Spelling 1 2 (a) (b) 3 4 5 steep time boat fate beat

ME fa:t b:t

MnE feit bi:t

Spelling fare fear bear

ME fa:r f:r b:r ste:r ti:r b:r

MnE fr fir br stir tair b:r

ste:p ti:m b:t

sti:p taim bout

steer tire boar

6
7

moon
house

mo:n
hu:s

mu:n
haus

moor
power

m:r
pu:r

mur
paur

Influence of -R
Triphthongs arising in words like tire and power eventually became diphthongs or even monophthongs: [tair > tar > ta:r]; [paur > par > pa:r]. As a result of these changes new phonemes [i], [] and [u] came into being.

Other changes
The change [a] > []
About the same time short [a] changed into []. This change affected all words containing [a] except those where it was preceded by [w]. Thus the vowel [] appeared again in the words hat, cat, ladder, and others.

Changes in diphthongs

The diphthongs [ai] and [ei] were towards the end of the ME period merged in [i], as in day, way, etc. Eventually this [i] developed into [ei]. The diphthong [ei] merged with [ei] from ME [a:]. A few pairs of homophones resulted from this: ail ale, fain feign fane, lain lane, maid made, pail pale, plain plane, sail sale, tail tale, veil vale. ME [eu] (spelt eu, ew) developed through [iu] into [ju:], as in dew. In MnE the ME sounds [ou] and [] were merged into one. This brought about seevral pairs of homophones: grown groan, know no, mown moan, row roe, rowed road, rode, soul sole.

Other changes
Rise of long [a:] and long [:]
In the 16th century two new long vowels arose: [a:] and long [:]. Long [a:] is found in MnE in different environments, before different consonants and consonant clusters, and many details of its rise have not yet been quite cleared up. We can state two main sources of modern [a:]: (1) [a], (2) [au].

Development of [a] before [l]

The group [al] seems to have developed into [aul] in the 15th century. The hard [l] was probably accompanied by lip-rounding, from which a labial sound and a diphthong originated. Thus, ih the 16th century the words all, call, tall, talk, walk were pronounced aul, kaul, taul, taulk, waulk.

The change [au] > [:]

In the 16th century the diphthong [au], whatever its origin, changed into [:], while the spelling au or aw remained unchanged, e.g.: cause, autumn, paw, dawn. Words in which the diphthong [au] had developed from [a] before l retained their a-spelling: all, call, tall, talk, walk.

Special cases

Before lf, lv an [a:] develops: calf, half, behalf, calve, halve. Some words, however, have [] and the [l] is preserved: salve, valve. The name Ralph is pronounced [rlf, ra:f, reif]. The development of [au] before the clusters n + consonant and m + consonant is difficult. Here we find three possibilities: []: cant, decanter, rant, scant, scanty, pant, grand, ancestor. [a:]: plant, enchant, advantage, command, branch, chance, example, sample. [:]: gaunt, haunt, taunt. Before [nd] the vowel is usually [ei]: change, strange, danger, manger. In a few words long [:] did not develop into [ou] and tends to be shortened into [], as in cloth. There is vacillation between [:] and [] in the words froth, cross, loss, toss, cost, frost. The vowel of ME gn (second participle of the verb gn) has been shortened: [gn]; ME ht yielded MnE hot, ME sry yielded MnE sorry, ME shn (past tense of the verb shnen) yielded MnE shone [n]. The root vowel was also shortened in the word sausage.

Special cases
Long [u:] was shortened before [k]: book, cook, hook, took, brook, shook, crook, and occasionally before other consonants as well, as in good, stood, hood, foot, wool, soot (but the words brood, food, mood, rood have preserved the long vowel). A few words vacillate between [u:] and [u]: broom, room (this word preserved ME long [u:] without diphthongization).

Rise of long [:]

In the 16th century a new vowel appears, namely [:]. Its rise is closely connected with changes of some vowels before [r] and with vocalization of [r]. [:] arises in the following cases: (1) from the group i + r, as in fir, sir, dirt, mirth, firm, first, thirst; (2) from u + r, as in fur, curl, curtain, burn, hurt, further; (3) from o + r after w, as in worm, word, world, worse; (4) from + r, as in heard, learn.

Literature
Ilyish B.A. History of the English Language. ., 1973. . 255-264.