Great Vowel Shift

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English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology

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Coined by Danish linguist Otto Jespersen.

Proper noun

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the Great Vowel Shift

  1. (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

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