A S L 3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Language Change, Monophthong, Isogloss
Document Summary
A series of sound changes affecting the middle english long vowel system. Vowel merger: two or more different vowels become alike, e. g. meet vs. meat. Diphthongisation/vowel breaking: process whereby a monophthong changes into a diphthong. In the standard south english language, the great vowel shift happened between middle and early modern english, but it never reached the north. 7 or 8 vowel qualities, depending on dialect. Each could appear as either a long or short monophthong. Only used in northumbria; the front rounded vowels disappeared. > increased regularity (front vowels always unrounded and back vowels always rounded) The difference between phonemically long and short consonants was indicated in writing by doubling the consonants. fylan ("befoul") vs. fyllan ("to fill") The length distinction among consonants was lost im middle english. The voiceless velar fricative /x/ has been lost in the middle english period. In final position lost completely: sigh, although or became [f]: enough.
