Phonetic Changes in the Early New English Period (Loss of unstressed e.

Changes of short vowels). The Great Vowel Shift.

During the Early New English period, which lasted from the 15th century to the mid-
17th century, the English language underwent a number of significant phonetic
changes. Two of the most important changes were the loss of unstressed «e» and the
Great Vowel Shift.

Loss of unstressed «e»:

One of the most notable phonetic changes in Early New English was the loss of the
sound /ə/ (called «schwa») in unstressed syllables, which had previously been
pronounced in words like «baker» and «better». This led to the simplification of
many words and the reduction of their number of syllables.

Changes of short vowels:

Another significant phonetic change in Early New English was the change of short
vowels. For example, the vowel sound /æ/ (as in «cat») shifted to /ɛ/ (as in «met»),
and the sound /ɛ/ (as in «met») shifted to /e/ (as in «ate»). This led to a significant
restructuring of the English vowel system, making it more complex and introducing
new vowel sounds.

The Great Vowel Shift:

The Great Vowel Shift was a major change in the English language that took place
during the 15th to 17th centuries. During this period, the long vowel sounds in
English words shifted upwards in the mouth, resulting in a change in their
pronunciation. For example, the Middle English word «name» was pronounced as
«nahm-uh» (with a short vowel sound in the second syllable), but during the Great
Vowel Shift, the vowel sound in the second syllable shifted to /i:/ (as in «meet»),
resulting in the modern pronunciation of «name» as «naym». This shift affected many
other long vowel sounds in the English language, making the pronunciation of many
words more complex and difficult to predict.

Overall, these phonetic changes during the Early New English period had a
significant impact on the pronunciation of the English language and helped to shape
its modern form.