History of the English Language
Prof. G. Steinberg
Great Vowel Shift

Examine the following list of words from Modern English.  Given what you know about the Great Vowel Shift, how was each word probably pronounced in Middle English?  Transcribe each word into the International Phonetic Alphabet first as it is pronounced in Modern English and then as you think it was probably pronounced in Middle English.  NOTE:  The spelling “ow” was another way of writing “ou.”  So, treat the combination “ow” as if it were “ou.”  (A “w” is called “double u” because originally it was “uu” -- so that “ow” = “ouu.”)
 

Word
Modern English
Middle English
get    
male    
kind    
joust    
wake    
keep    
ill    
go    
doubt    
face    
chide    
feast    
hate    
less    
how    
proud    
nice    
do    
steal    
speed    
hope    
stiff    
blame    
boon    
brown    
prove    
boat    
bride    
choose    
close    
lend    
clean    
count    
cry    


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