Great Vowel Shift (Page 2 of 4) in pdf

the Modern English outcome suggests that when followed by /r/ it did not merge

with the other vowels that usually gave Middle English /ɛ:/—at least not in one of

the dialects that underlie London English. (On the other hand, OE spere gives

ModE spear, with /i:/—either an isolated irregularity or from a different dialect.

Labov 1994:152-3 points out that it is the more common words that show the

unexpected vowel, hinting at a sound change arrested in progress, which is plau-

sible—but delete his example smear, which actually reflects OE smierwan

(smerian means ‘ridicule’), and perhaps weir < OE wer, the phonological history

of which is less clear.)

Likewise instead of /i:/ we find /e

/ in great and break. This is often attributed to the pre-

ceding /r/, or even on the Cr-cluster, and Labov’s findings about the strong influ-

ence of initial obstruent-plus-liquid clusters suggest that that is correct (cf. Labov

1994:457-8). But the situation is more complex: contrast breach, grease, cream,

etc., with /i:/. Complicating the picture still further is the evidence that these

words were also pronounced with /i:/ in the 18th c., and the fact that the compara-

tive of great was for a long time gretter (with a short vowel, rhyming with better

in Shakespeare; see Jespersen 1948:338-9). The most plausible explanation is

that the combination of initial Cr-cluster (which would tend to lower the vowel)

and final voiceless stop (which would tend to shorten the vowel, maximizing the

effect of the lowering) were the crucial factors, perhaps with an added push from

gretter (as Jespersen suggests).

Finally, /ɛ:/ was shortened before dental and alveolar consonants in a considerable num-

ber of words, notably bread, dead, dread, head, lead (the noun), red, shred,

spread, thread, tread, fret, et (the dialect past tense of ‘eat’), let, sweat, threat,

breath, and death; contrast bead, knead, lead (the verb), mead, plead, read, beat,

eat, heat, meat, beneath, heath, sheath, wreath. Possibly deaf (vs. leaf, sheaf)

belongs here too. So far as I know, this has not been seriously studied from a

modern perspective; it looks like a promising case of intricate Labov condition-

ing, if the facts can be determined.

Great Vowel Shift Page 2