Great Vowel Shift
E540972
The Great Vowel Shift was a major historical change in the pronunciation of long vowels in English, occurring mainly between the 15th and 18th centuries and helping to create the mismatch between English spelling and pronunciation seen today.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Great Vowel Shift canonical | 4 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
event in the history of English
ⓘ
phonological shift ⓘ sound change ⓘ |
| affects |
English language
ⓘ
long vowels in English ⓘ vowel backness ⓘ vowel height ⓘ vowel quality ⓘ |
| causeOf | difficulty of English spelling for learners ⓘ |
| consequence |
creation of modern English long vowel values
ⓘ
divergence of English vowel systems from continental European languages ⓘ irregular English orthography ⓘ mismatch between English spelling and pronunciation ⓘ |
| documentedBy |
historical linguistics
ⓘ
orthographic evidence ⓘ rhyming patterns in poetry ⓘ |
| hasAlternativeName | English Vowel Shift NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influences |
pronunciation of Modern English dialects
ⓘ
reconstruction of earlier English pronunciation ⓘ teaching of English pronunciation ⓘ |
| involves |
diphthongization of high long vowels
ⓘ
raising of long low vowel ⓘ raising of long mid vowels ⓘ restructuring of English vowel system ⓘ |
| languageStage |
Early Modern English
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Middle English NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mainPhase |
15th century
ⓘ
16th century ⓘ 17th century ⓘ |
| notableFor | scale of systemic vowel reorganization in a major world language ⓘ |
| partOf | transition from Middle English to Modern English ⓘ |
| precedes | later English vowel shifts ⓘ |
| precondition | relative stabilization of English spelling before completion of the shift ⓘ |
| region |
England
ⓘ
southern England ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
English orthography
ⓘ
English phonology NERFINISHED ⓘ chain shift ⓘ history of English ⓘ |
| studiedIn |
English historical linguistics
ⓘ
historical phonology ⓘ |
| timePeriod |
15th century
ⓘ
16th century ⓘ 17th century ⓘ 18th century ⓘ |
| typeOfChange |
chain shift
ⓘ
systemic vowel shift ⓘ |
Referenced by (4)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.