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Vowel Shift
Vowel Shift
The Great English Vowel Shift. Imagine the vowels in English words shifting their
sounds over time, like a big linguistic makeover. This shift happened between the 14th
and 18th centuries and had a lasting impact on pronunciation and spelling.
1. Vowel Sound Changes: During the shift, the sounds of many English vowels
changed. For example, the vowel in "name" used to be pronounced like the "a" in
"father" (pronounced as "nah-meh" in Early Modern English) but shifted to the
sound we use today (like the "a" in "name").
2. Spelling Challenges: The vowel shift also affected how words were spelled.
People had to adapt to new pronunciation rules, leading to changes in spelling
patterns.