GREAT VOWEL SHIFT
Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language
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1998
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© Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language 1998, originally published by Oxford University Press 1998. (Hide copyright information)
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GREAT VOWEL SHIFT. A sound change that began
c.1400 and ended
c.1600, changing late
MIDDLE ENGLISH long, stressed
MONOPHTHONGS from something like the sounds of mainland European languages to those that they now have: for example, Middle English
fine had an
i like Italian
fino. Words that entered English after the completion of the shift have often retained the original sound, as in
police: compare
polite, which entered earlier. In terms of articulation, the Middle English front
VOWELS raised and fronted and the back vowels raised and backed; vowels already at the top became
DIPHTHONGS with
ah as the first element and the old vowel as the second, as in
fine (see diagram). The shift marked a major change in the transition to
EARLY MODERN ENGLISH, and is one reason the works of Geoffrey
CHAUCER and his contemporaries sound so unlike present-day English. Chaucer's
a in
fame sounded much like the
a in present-day
father, his
e in
see like the
a in
same, the
i in
fine like the
ee in
fee, the
o in
so like the
aw in
saw, the
o in
to like the
oe in
toe, and the
ou or
ow in
crowd like the
u in
crude. See
E,
LATIN,
JESPERSEN, VOWEL SHIFT. Compare GRIMM'S LAW.
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Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe; 10/7/2001; 286 words
; HOLBROOK - William E. Ellis, 59, a firefighter, died last Sunday at South...Quincy as a firefighter for 29 years. Mr. Ellis leaves his wife, Christine (Risio) Ellis; two sons, William E. Jr. of Plymouth, and Robert M. of Quincy...
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FSCT Past-President William Ellis, a pioneer of solvent and Coatings Research, passes away.(Obituary)
Magazine article from: JCT CoatingsTech; 2/1/2007; 634 words
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Newspaper article from: The Boston Herald; 2/2/2004; 366 words
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TEEN CHARGED IN CRASH WILLIAM ELLIS, 17, FACES A POSSIBLE PRISON TERMFOR THE DEATH OF KIRK "KIRKY" SMITH, 13, IN A HIGH-SPEED CAR CRASH.(Local/Wisconsin)
Newspaper article from: Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI); 9/9/2000; 484 words
; ...died in a high-speed car crash. William Ellis, 17, faces a possible 60-year...the stolen 1995 Chrysler driven by Ellis was traveling in the range of 87...my God, this is a nightmare!'' Ellis, uninjured but for cuts, then walked...
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Ex-police chief takes interim port post. (People).(William Ellis)(Brief Article)
Magazine article from: Los Angeles Business Journal; 9/16/2002; ; 700+ words
; WILLIAM Ellis has had more jobs since retiring than he...who retired after five years in the post. Ellis will serve as director until a permanent...review of the port's security department. Ellis said he would not apply for the permanent...
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William Ellis to Head CME Programs for Arc Communications.
PR Newswire; 1/19/2000; 537 words
; ...today announced the appointment of William Ellis as national program director for...education unit, ArcMesa Educators. Ellis will be responsible for new business...licensure. Before joining Arc, Ellis directed managed care communications...
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WILLIAM ELLIS SWARTZ.(CAPITAL REGION)
Newspaper article from: Albany Times Union (Albany, NY); 10/16/1997; 414 words
; ALBANY -- William Ellis Swartz, on October 15, 1997, after a longtime illness. William Swartz was a decorated Navy Air Corps...and Veterans Hospital for many years. William leaves his wife of 49 years, as well...
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William Ellis
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
William Ellis 1794-1872, English missionary, pioneer of printing in the Pacific. Sent in 1816 to Polynesia as a nonconformist missionary...
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Ellis, William
Dictionary entry from: Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography
Ellis, William ( b . Greenwich, England, 20 February...geomagnetism, meteorology, astronomy . Ellis ’ father, Thomas, joined the...thirteen. Twice married but childless, Ellis occupied himself in his spare time with...
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Ellis, Perry
Book article from: Contemporary Fashion
ELLIS, Perry American designer Born: Perry Edwin Ellis in Portsmouth, Virginia, 30 March...of Arts, business, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia...president/designer, Perry Ellis Sportswear, Inc., 1978-86...
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Perry Ellis International, Inc.
Book article from: International Directory of Company Histories
...The assumption of the Perry Ellis name has elevated Supreme International...Merchandiser in the 1960s Perry Ellis never intended to become a designer...in business at the College of William and Mary he earned a master...brilliant fashion merchandiser. Ellis would become one of the top...
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Ellis, Perry 1940-1986
Book article from: American Decades
...fabrics and painterly colors. Ellis's loafers and his trademark...Designer in 1983 and 1984. Life Ellis was born in Portsmouth, Virginia...1940. He earned a B.A. at William and Mary College and an M...years later he established Perry Ellis Sportswear. His menswear company...
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