Old, Middle, and Modern English, the Great Vowel Shift, borrowing, and key linguistic changes.
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- When did Old English exist as a distinct language?
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5th to 11th centuries- What dates mark the Middle English period?
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11th to 15th centuries, approximately 1150 to 1500- When did Modern English begin?
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Around 15th to 16th centuries- What major event in 1066 changed English vocabulary?
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The Norman Conquest of England- What 15th century invention helped standardize English spelling?
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The printing press- What is the Great Vowel Shift?
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A systematic change in the pronunciation of long vowels from Middle English to Early Modern English- What sound did Old English long /a:/ shift to?
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/e:/ (as in 'mate')- What sound did Old English long /e:/ shift to?
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/i:/ (as in 'feet')- What happened to Old English long /i:/ in the Great Vowel Shift?
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It diphthongized to /ai/ (as in 'price')- What happened to Old English long /u:/ in the Great Vowel Shift?
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It diphthongized to /au/ (as in 'mouth')- What sound did Old English long /o:/ shift to?
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/u:/ (as in 'goose')- Why do 'cow' and 'beef' have different etymologies?
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Cow is from Anglo-Saxon, beef is from Norman French- What Norman French word is the origin of 'mutton'?
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Mouton, meaning sheep- What is the origin of the word 'pork'?
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From Norman French porc- Why is the 'kn' in 'knight' now silent?
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In Old English cniht, the /kn/ cluster was pronounced but was lost in Modern English
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