Editing Great Vowel Shift (section)

==Details==

===Middle English vowel system===
{{more citations needed section|date=March 2020}}
Before the Great Vowel Shift, Middle English in Southern England had seven long vowels, {{IPA|/iː eː ɛː aː ɔː oː uː/}}. The vowels occurred in, for example, the words ''mite'', ''meet'', ''meat'', ''mate'', ''boat'', ''boot'', and ''bout'', respectively.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Southern Middle English<br>vowel system
!
! front !! back
|-
! close
| {{IPA|/iː/}}: ''mite'' || {{IPA|/uː/}}: ''bout''
|-
! close-mid
| {{IPA|/eː/}}: ''meet'' || {{IPA|/oː/}}: ''boot''
|-
! open-mid
| {{IPA|/ɛː/}}: ''meat'' || {{IPA|/ɔː/}}: ''boat''
|-
! open
| {{IPA|/aː/}}: ''mate'' || —
|}

The words had very different pronunciations in Middle English from those in Modern English:
* '''Long ''i''''' in ''mite'' was pronounced as {{IPA|/iː/}}, so Middle English ''mite'' sounded similar to Modern English ''meet''.
* '''Long ''e''''' in ''meet'' was pronounced as {{IPA|/eː/}}, so Middle English ''meet'' sounded similar to modern Australian English ''met'' but pronounced longer.
*'''Long ''a''''' in ''mate'' was pronounced as {{IPA|/aː/}}, with a vowel similar to the broad ''a'' of ''ma''.
* '''Long ''o''''' in ''boot'' was pronounced as {{IPA|/oː/}}, so Middle English ''boot'' sounded similar to modern Southern England, Australian and New Zealand English ''bought''.

In addition, Middle English had: 
* '''Long {{IPA|/ɛː/}}''' in ''meat'', like Received Pronunciation ''air'', or modern short ''e'' in ''met'' but pronounced longer.
* '''Long {{IPA|/ɔː/}}''' in ''boat'', with a vowel similar to ''aw'' in modern Northern England English ''law'', or like modern Southern England, Australian and New Zealand English ''bot'' but pronounced longer.
* '''Long {{IPA|/uː/}}''' in ''bout'', similar to Modern English ''boot''.

===Changes===
After around 1300, the long vowels of Middle English began changing in pronunciation as follows:

* '''Diphthongisation''' – The two close vowels, {{IPA|/iː uː/}}, became [[diphthong]]s ([[vowel breaking]]). 
* '''Vowel raising''' – The other five, {{IPA|/eː ɛː aː ɔː oː/}}, underwent an increase in [[Vowel height|tongue height]] ([[raising (phonology)|raising]]).

These changes occurred over several centuries and can be divided into two phases. The first phase affected the close vowels {{IPA|/iː uː/}} and the close-mid vowels {{IPA|/eː oː/}}: {{IPA|/eː oː/}} were raised to {{IPA|/iː uː/}}, and {{IPA|/iː uː/}} became the diphthongs {{IPA|/ei ou/}} or {{IPA|/əi əu/}}.{{sfn|Lass|2000|pp=80–83}} The second phase affected the open vowel {{IPA|/aː/}} and the open-mid vowels {{IPA|/ɛː ɔː/}}: {{IPA|/aː ɛː ɔː/}} were raised, in most cases changing to {{IPA|/eː iː oː/}}.{{sfn|Lass|2000|pp=83–85}}

The Great Vowel Shift changed vowels without [[Sound merger|merger]], so Middle English before the vowel shift had the same number of vowel [[phoneme]]s as Early Modern English after the vowel shift.

After the Great Vowel Shift, some vowel phonemes began merging. Immediately after the Great Vowel Shift, the vowels of ''meet'' and ''meat'' were different, but they are merged in Modern English, and both words are pronounced as {{IPA|/miːt/}}.

However, during the 16th and the 17th centuries, there were many different mergers, and some mergers can be seen in individual Modern English words like ''great'', which is pronounced with the vowel {{IPA|/eɪ/}} as in ''mate'' rather than the vowel {{IPA|/iː/}} as in ''meat''.{{sfn|Görlach|1991|pp=68–69}}

This is a simplified picture of the changes that happened between late Middle English (late ME), [[Early Modern English]] (EModE), and today's English (ModE). Pronunciations in 1400, 1500, 1600, and 1900 are shown.{{sfn|Lass|2000|p=72}} To hear recordings of the sounds, click the phonetic symbols.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! rowspan="3" | Word !! colspan="4" | Vowel pronunciation !! rowspan="3" | Sound file
|-
! late ME !! colspan="2" | EModE !! ModE
|-
! 1400 !! 1500 !! 1600 !! by 1900
|-
! bite
| {{Audio-IPA|Close front unrounded vowel.ogg|/iː/|help=no}} || {{IPA|/ei/}} || {{IPA|/ɛi/}} || {{Audio-IPA|en-us-I.ogg|/aɪ/|help=no}} || [[File:ME-EME-bite.ogg]]
|-
! out
| {{Audio-IPA|Close back rounded vowel.ogg|/uː/|help=no}} || {{IPA|/ou/}}|| {{IPA|/ɔu/}}|| {{Audio-IPA|en-us-ow.ogg|/aʊ/|help=no}} || [[File:ME-EME-out.ogg]]
|-
! meet
| {{Audio-IPA|Close-mid front unrounded vowel.ogg|/eː/|help=no}} || colspan="3" | {{Audio-IPA|Close front unrounded vowel.ogg|/iː/|help=no}} || [[File:ME-EME-meet.ogg]]
|-
! boot
| {{Audio-IPA|Close-mid back rounded vowel.ogg|/oː/|help=no}} || colspan="3" | {{Audio-IPA|Close back rounded vowel.ogg|/uː/|help=no}} || [[File:ME-EME-boot.ogg]]
|-
! meat
| colspan="2" | {{Audio-IPA|Open-mid front unrounded vowel.ogg|/ɛː/|help=no}} || {{Audio-IPA|Close-mid front unrounded vowel.ogg|/eː/|help=no}} || {{Audio-IPA|Close front unrounded vowel.ogg|/iː/|help=no}} || [[File:ME-EME-meat.ogg]]
|-
! boat
| colspan="2" | {{Audio-IPA|Open-mid back rounded vowel.ogg|/ɔː/|help=no}} || {{Audio-IPA|Close-mid back rounded vowel.ogg|/oː/|help=no}} || {{Audio-IPA|en-us-O.ogg|/oʊ/|help=no}} || [[File:ME-EME-boat.ogg]]
|-
! mate
| {{Audio-IPA|Open front unrounded vowel.ogg|/aː/|help=no}} || {{IPA|/æː/}}||  {{Audio-IPA|Open-mid front unrounded vowel.ogg|/ɛː/|help=no}} || {{Audio-IPA|en-us-a.ogg|/eɪ/|help=no}} || [[File:ME-EME-mate.ogg]]
|}

Before [[labial consonant]]s and also after {{IPAc-en|j}},<ref>{{cite book|last1=Labov|first1=William|last2=Ash|first2=Sharon|last3=Boberg|first3=Charles|title=The Atlas of North American English|date=2006|publisher=Mouton-de Gruyter|location=Berlin|isbn=3-11-016746-8|page=14|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qa4-dFqi6iMC&pg=PA14}}</ref> {{IPA|/uː/}} did not shift, and {{IPA|/uː/}} remains as in ''s'''ou'''p''.

===First phase===
The first phase of the Great Vowel Shift affected the Middle English close-mid vowels {{IPA|/eː oː/}}, as in ''beet'' and ''boot'', and the close vowels {{IPA|/iː uː/}}, as in ''bite'' and ''out''. The close-mid vowels {{IPA|/eː oː/}} became close {{IPA|/iː uː/}}, and the close vowels {{IPA|/iː uː/}} became diphthongs. The first phase was completed in 1500, meaning that by that time, words like ''beet'' and ''boot'' had lost their Middle English pronunciation and were pronounced with the same vowels as in Modern English. The words ''bite'' and ''out'' were pronounced with diphthongs, but not the same diphthongs as in Modern English.{{sfn|Lass|2000|pp=80–83}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ First phase of the Great Vowel Shift
! rowspan="2" | Word !! colspan="2" | Vowel pronunciation
|-
! 1400 !! 1550
|-
! bite
| {{IPA|/iː/}} || {{IPA|/ɛi/}}
|-
! meet
| {{IPA|/eː/}} || {{IPA|/iː/}}
|-
! out
| {{IPA|/uː/}} || {{IPA|/ɔu/}}
|-
! boot
| {{IPA|/oː/}} || {{IPA|/uː/}}
|}

Scholars agree that the Middle English close vowels {{IPA|/iː uː/}} became diphthongs around 1500, but disagree about what diphthongs they changed to. According to Lass, the words ''bite'' and ''out'' after diphthongisation were pronounced as {{IPA|/beit/}} and {{IPA|/out/}}, similar to American English ''bait'' {{IPA|/beɪt/}} and ''oat'' {{IPA|/oʊt/}}. Later, the diphthongs {{IPA|/ei ou/}} shifted to {{IPA|/ɛi ɔu/}}, then {{IPA|/əi əu/}}, and finally to Modern English {{IPA|/aɪ aʊ/}}.{{sfn|Lass|2000|pp=80–83}} This sequence of events is supported by the testimony of [[orthoepy|orthoepists]] before Hodges<!-- Need to get a first name --> in 1644.

However, many scholars such as {{harvcoltxt|Dobson|1968}}, {{harvcoltxt|Kökeritz|1953}}, and {{harvcoltxt|Cercignani|1981}} argue for theoretical reasons that, contrary to what 16th-century witnesses report, the vowels {{IPA|/iː uː/}} were immediately centralised and lowered to {{IPA|/əi əu/}}.{{refn|group=nb|Centralizing to /ɨi ɨu/ and then lowering to /əi əu/ argued by Stockwell (1961).}}

Evidence from Northern English and Scots ([[#Northern English and Scots|see below]]) suggests that the close-mid vowels {{IPA|/eː oː/}} were the first to shift. As the Middle English vowels {{IPA|/eː oː/}} were raised towards {{IPA|/iː uː/}}, they forced the original Middle English {{IPA|/iː uː/}} out of place and caused them to become diphthongs {{IPA|/ei ou/}}. This type of sound change, in which one vowel's pronunciation shifts so that it is pronounced like a second vowel, and the second vowel is forced to change its pronunciation, is called a [[push chain]].{{sfn|Lass|2000|pp=74–77}}

However, according to professor [[Jürgen Handke]], for some time, there was a phonetic split between words with the vowel {{IPA|/iː/}} and the diphthong {{IPA|/əi/}}, in words where the Middle English {{IPA|/iː/}} shifted to the Modern English {{IPA|/aɪ/}}. For an example, ''high'' was pronounced with the vowel {{IPA|/iː/}}, and ''like'' and ''my'' were pronounced with the diphthong {{IPA|/əi/}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyhZ8NQOZeo |title=PHY117 – The Great Vowel Shift |author=Jürgen Handke |date=Dec 7, 2012 |publisher=The Virtual Linguistics Campus |website=YouTube}}</ref> Therefore, for logical reasons, the close vowels {{IPA|/iː uː/}} could have diphthongised before the close-mid vowels {{IPA|/eː oː/}} raised.  Otherwise, ''high'' would probably rhyme with ''thee'' rather than ''my''. This type of chain is called a [[chain shift|drag chain]].

===Second phase===
The second phase of the Great Vowel Shift affected the Middle English open vowel {{IPA|/aː/}}, as in ''mate'', and the Middle English open-mid vowels {{IPA|/ɛː ɔː/}}, as in ''meat'' and ''boat''. Around 1550, Middle English {{IPA|/aː/}} was raised to {{IPA|/æː/}}. Then, after 1600, the new {{IPA|/æː/}} was raised to {{IPA|/ɛː/}}, with the Middle English open-mid vowels {{IPA|/ɛː ɔː/}} raised to close-mid {{IPA|/eː oː/}}.{{sfn|Lass|2000|pp=83–85}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Second phase of the Great Vowel Shift
! rowspan="2" | Word !! colspan="3" | Vowel pronunciation
|-
! 1400 !! 1550 !! 1640
|-
! meat
| {{IPA|/ɛː/}} || {{IPA|/ɛː/}} || {{IPA|/eː/}}
|-
! mate
| {{IPA|/aː/}} || {{IPA|/aː/}}, {{IPA|/æː/}} || {{IPA|/ɛː/}}
|-
! boat
| {{IPA|/ɔː/}} || {{IPA|/ɔː/}} || {{IPA|/oː/}}
|}

===Later mergers===
During the first and the second phases of the Great Vowel Shift, long vowels were shifted without merging with other vowels, but after the second phase, several vowels merged. The later changes also involved the Middle English diphthong {{IPA|/ɛj/}}, as in ''day'', which often (but not always, see the [[Pane-pain merger|''pane-pain'' merger]]) monophthongised to {{IPA|/ɛː/}}, and merged with Middle English {{IPA|/aː/}} as in ''mate'' or {{IPA|/ɛː/}} as in ''meat''.{{sfn|Görlach|1991|pp=68–69}}

During the 16th and 17th centuries, several different pronunciation variants existed among different parts of the population for words like ''meet'', ''meat'', ''mate'', and ''day''. Different pairs or trios of words were merged in pronunciation in each pronunciation variant. Four different pronunciation variants are shown in the table below. The fourth pronunciation variant gave rise to Modern English pronunciation. In Modern English, ''meet'' and ''meat'' are merged in pronunciation and both have the vowel {{IPA|/iː/}}, and ''mate'' and ''day'' are merged with the diphthong {{IPA|/eɪ/}}, which developed from the 16th-century long vowel {{IPA|/eː/}}.{{sfn|Görlach|1991|pp=68–69}}<!-- Görlach cites Samuels (1972: 147) for variants I, II, and III, and adds the pronunciation given by John Hart. In the table below, Hart's variant is number 1, and Görlach's I, II, II are numbers 3, 2, 4. -->
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Meet-meat mergers
! rowspan="2" | Word !! rowspan="2" | Middle<br>English !! colspan="4" | 1500s pronunciation variants
|-
! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4
|-
! meet
| {{IPA|/eː/}} || {{IPA|/iː/}} || {{IPA|/iː/}} || {{IPA|/iː/}} || rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/iː/}}
|-
! meat
| {{IPA|/ɛː/}} ||  rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/ɛː/}} || rowspan="3" | {{IPA|/eː/}} || {{IPA|/eː/}}
|-
! day
| {{IPA|/ɛj/}}|| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/ɛː/}} || rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/eː/}}
|-
! mate
| {{IPA|/aː/}} ||  {{IPA|/æː/}}
|}

Modern English typically has the [[Meet–meat merger|''meet''–''meat'' merger]]: both ''meet'' and ''meat'' are pronounced with the vowel {{IPA|/iː/}}. Words like ''great'' and ''steak'', however, have merged with ''mate'' and are pronounced with the vowel {{IPA|/eɪ/}}, which developed from the {{IPA|/eː/}} shown in the table above. Before historic {{IPA|/r/}} some of these vowels merged with {{IPA|/ə/}}, {{IPA|/ɛ/}}, {{IPA|/ɪ/}}, {{IPA|/ʊ/}}