Changes of stressed vowels

Changes of unstressed vowels in ME and Early NE

In the Middle and NE periods the main character and directions of the evolution of unstressed vowels were the same as before: the unstressed vowels had lost many of their former distinctions – their differences in quantity as well as some of their differences in quality were neutralised.

In the Middle English period the pronunciation of unstressed syllables became increasingly indistinct. As compared to OE which distinguished five short vowels in unstressed position (representing three phonemes [e/i], [a] and [o/u]), ME reduced them to [e/i] or rather [э/i], the first variant being a neutral sound. Compare: OE fiscas ME fishes [`fijэs]

Fisces

The occurrence of only two vowels [i] and [э] in unstressed final syllables is regarded as an important mark of the ME language distinguishing it on the one hand, from OE with its greater variety of unstressed vowels, and on the other hand, from the NE, when this final [э] was altogether lost. (Compare NE risen, tale.)

Some of the new unstressed vowels were not reduced to the same degree as the OE vowels and have retained their quantitative and qualitative differences, e.g. NE consecrate [ei], disobey [o].

These examples, as well as modern polysyllabic words like alternant with [o] and [o:], direct with [ai] and [i] and others show that a variety of vowels can occur in unstressed position, although the most frequent vowels are [i] and [э], the latter confined to unstressed position alone, being the result of phonetic reduction of various vowels.

These development show that the gap between the set of stressed and unstressed vowels has narrowed, so that in Middle and NE we need no longer strictly subdivide the system of vowels into two sub-systems – that of stressed and unstressed vowels (as was done for OE), - even though the changes of the vowels in the two positions were widely different and the phonetic contrast between the stressed and unstressed syllables remained very strong.

Changes of stressed vowels

No other part of the English phonetic system has undergone such considerable changes as the stressed vowels. They changed both in quality and quantity, under the influence of the environment and independently, alone or together with the surrounding sounds. Not a single OE long vowel or diphthong has remained unaltered in the course of history; only a few short vowels have not altered at all (unless in certain positions they were at some time lengthened and then shared the fate of long vowels).

The prevailing type of changes of stressed vowels in OE were assimilative changes affecting the quality of the vowel. Towards the end of the OE period and especially in Early ME quantitative vowel changes appear to have assumed greater importance; these were positional changes, which affected many vowels and led to an alteration in the phonological load of vowel quantity.

The regular qualitative changes of all the long vowels between the 14^th and the 17^th centuries are known in the history of the English language as the Great vowel shift. The Great vowel shift was a series of consistent changes of long vowels accounting for many features of the ME vowel system and also of the modern spelling system. During this period all the long vowels became closer or were diphthongised. Some of the vowels occupied the place of the next vowel; [e:] > [i:], [o:] > [u:], while the latter changed to [au].

Vowel length was an inherited feature: OE short vowels had developed from short vowels, while long ones usually went back to Common Germanic long vowels or vowel combinations.

In later OE and in early ME many vowels became long or short depending on phonetic conditions and irrespective of their origin.

The earliest of the positional quanitative changes was the reajustment of quantity before some consonant clusters:

1) A sequence of two homorganic consonants, a sonorant and a plosive, brought about a lengthening of the preceding vowel; consequently all vowels occuring in this position remained or became long, e.e. OE wild > ME wild [wi:ld], NE wild.

2) All other sequences of two or more consonants produced the reverse affect: they made the preceding long vowels short, and thus all vowels in this position became or remained short, e.g. OE cepte > ME kepte [`keptэ], NE kept.

3) The short vowels [e], [a] and [o] (that is, the more open ones of short vowels) became long in open syllables, e.g. OE nama > ME name [`na:mэ], NE name.

2.8. Development of consonants

In the history of the English language the consonants were far more stable than the vowels. A large number of consonants have remained unchanged since the OE period. Such consonants as [t], [d], [n],[l],[m],[k] have not been subjected to any alteration.

One of the most important consonant changes in the history of English was the appearance of affricates and sibilants, lacking in the OE period. Sets of these sounds appeared in the language at various periods due to different assimilative changes and the phonologisation of positional variants. Another important development was the voicing of fricatives in Early NE and the new treatment of fricatives from the phonological viewpoint. As a result of these changes a number of new consonant phonemes were added to the system.

On the other hand, at different historical periods we can observe the loss of consonants and instances of consonant system and on the vowel system: owing to the vocalisation of consonants there developed a number of new diphthongs and long vowels.

English consonants were considerably simplified as far as consonant clusters are concerned, and also as a system, correlated through certain principles.

1) During the ME period the consonants lost their quantitative distinctions, as the long or double consonants disappeared. The number of consonant phonemes was reduced and one of their principal phonemic distinctive feature – opposition through quantity – was lost. e.g. OE settan, ME setten [`settэn], later [`setэn], NE set.

2) Some consonant clusters were simplified. One of the consonants, usually the first, was dropped. E.g. kn> n, gn >n, hw> w.

2.9. Historical Grammar (changes in the nominal system, verbal systems)