14. The Great Vowel Shift and Modern English

In this lecture, we will look at the major features of the Great Vowel Shift (GVS), a systematic change in the pronunciation of long, stressed vowels in English. The shift took place from about the middle of the 15 th century and continued until about the end of the 16 th. It changed radically the sound of spoken English, making its vowels unique in pronunciation among European languages. It also had an impact on attitudes toward dialect and usage, and it affected the way in which English verse was written (by changing radically the rhyming possibilities of the language). Finally, it was the key change in the language that transformed Middle English into Modern English. This lecture, therefore, marks that important transition. Study of the GVS also gives us a glimpse at some of the methods by which scholars understand language change. In particular, we can look at written documents whose unsure spelling gives us evidence for the GVS as it was happening.