1. Introduction -- 2. The development of OE ā -- 3. The development of OE æ -- 4. The development of OE ē and ēo -- 5. The development of ME ī -- 6. The development of OE ō -- 7. The development of ME ū -- 8. The development of OE ȳ -- 9. Summary and conclusions
Summary
The English language has undergone many sound changes in its long history. Some of these changes had a profound effect on the pronunciation of the language. A number of these significant instances of language evolution are generally grouped together and termed the 'Great Vowel Shift'. These changes are generally considered to be unrelated to other, similar long-vowel changes taking place a little earlier. This book assesses an extensive range of irregular Middle English spellings for all these changes, with a view to identifying the real course of events: the dates, the chronology, and the dialects that stand out as being innovative. Using empirical evidence to offer a fresh perspective and drawing new, convincing conclusions, Stenbrenden offers an interpretation of the history of the English language which may change our view of sound change completely
Notes
Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 09 Feb 2016)
