Great Vowel Shift
English
Etymology
Coined by Otto Jespersen (1860–1943), Danish linguist.
Proper noun
the Great Vowel Shift
- (phonology) A major change in the pronunciation of the English language, affecting the sounds of long vowels, that took place in England between 1350 and 1700.
- Because English spelling was becoming standardized in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Great Vowel Shift is responsible for many of the peculiarities of English spelling.
Translations
major change in the pronunciation of the English language
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