XIII Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2021

The Great Vowel Shift (GVS) is a historical phenomenon described as a complex system of phonetical changes, peculiar to various English dialects.

Таблица 1

Table 1 shows different phonetical changes in English vowels which happened in the course of the GVS. Some of them are considered to be basic ones [1]:

1) sound [ā] changed into [ɔː] during the Middle English period;

2) vowels before labial sounds [p] and [m] didn’t change, and [uː]remained unchanged (room, droop), but for the exception to the rule – wound;

3) such phonemes as [о], [а] и [ɛ], intrinsic to Middle English, disappeared;

4) personal pronoun «you» didn’t change as Middle English «you» (вас, вам) and «ye» (вы) were gradually merging and meaning the same – «вы»;

5) in the words borrowed from French no changes occurred.

Such scientists as J. Jespersen, K. Luick, V. Y. Plotkin, W. Horn and K. Lehnert analyzed the GVS, its causes and its essence [2].

J. Jespersen put forward drag-chain theory in which he assumed that [i:] and [u:] were the first phonemes changed during the GVS. [I:] and [u:] became diphthongs and [ɛ:], [a:] и [ɔ:] moved to their positions.

According to K. Luick’s push-chain theory the GVS started with [a:] и [ɔ:] changing. Growing narrow [a:] и [ɔ:] removed narrower vowels from their original positions. It led to narrowing of [e:] > [i:], [o:] > [u:]. The narrowest vowels became diphthongs: [i:] > [ai], [u:] > [au]. There is an opinion that K. Luick’s push-chain theory is based on northern dialect since namely there the phonetics transformation mechanism described in the theory may be observed.

V. Y. Plotkin assumes that due to phonetical reduction and consequent disappearance of unstressed vowels a great number of one-syllable words occurred at the end of the Middle English period. The only different thing they had was their root vowel: [rod] – [rɔ:d] (rod - road); [fit] – [fi:t] (fit – feet). To make the difference in meaning of that kind words more obvious the English language developed a new type of opposition between short monophthong and diphthong.

German scientists W. Horn and K. Lehnert think that narrowing of vowels in the course of the GVS could be caused by pronouncing these sounds on a high-pitch tone of emotional speech.

It is important to highlight the fact that the GVS didn’t influence spelling, as English spelling stabilized before the Middle English period. As a result New English has some words from Middle English. They didn’t change their spelling but are pronounced differently.

Thus, the Great Vowel Shift is on the one hand a long phonetical process possessing certain characteristics, on the other hand a complex historical phenomenon in the English language which designates the boundaries of the Middle English and the New English periods.

Литература:

1. Аракин В.Д. Очерки по истории английского языка : [учеб. пособие для пед. вузов] / В.Д. Аракин. – М. : ФИЗМАТЛИТ, 2007. – 147 с.

2. Васильева Э.П. Исторические основы английской фонетики и орфографии. URL: http://engphil.samsu.ru/laniuscms/docs/lectures/historyenglish.pdf (дата обращения 07.01.21)

3. Википедия. URL: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/ (дата обращения 22.01.21)

4. Иванова И.П. История английского языка. Хрестоматия / И.П. Иванова, Л.П. Чахоян, Т.М. Беляева. – СПб: Изд-во Лань, 1999. – 512 с.