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Shakespeare's Pronunciation
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Shakespeare's pronunciation, though not ours, was much more like ours than has always been realized. He pronounced [e] for [i] in some words just as Pope could still say tay for tea. The falling together of er, ir, ur (e.g., herd, birth, hurt) was under way but not yet completed. As is known, M.E. e was sometimes open, sometimes close [ɛ: e:] and the two sounds were still distinct in Shakespeare's day, [e:] and [i:] respectively. Consequently sea [se:] does not normally rime with see [si:], heap with keep, speak with seek, etc. Toward the close of the fifteenth century an attempt was made to distinguish between them by the spelling. The closer sound was often spelled with ee or ie {deep, field) while the more open sound was as often written ea (sea, clean). But the practice was not consistently carried out. Although the two sounds are now identical, this
variation in spelling is a reminder of the difference in pronunciation that long existed.
We should also probably notice considerable difference in the pronunciation of words containing M.E. o. This regularly developed into [u:], as in room, food, roof, root, and it retains this sound in many words today. In some words the vowel was shortened in the fifteenth century and was unrounded to the sound in blood, flood. In still other words, however, it retained its length until about 1700, but was then shortened without being unrounded, giving us the sound good, stood, book, fool. It is apparent that in Shakespeare's day there was much fluctuation in the pronunciation of words containing this Middle English vowel, both in the different parts of the country and in the usage of different individuals.
Consequently we find in the poetry of the period word like flood riming not only with blood but with mood and good. In fact, as late as Dryden we find in the same rime flood — mood — good, the three developments of the sound at the present day. It is only in recent times that the pronunciation of these words has been standardized, and even today there is some vacillation between a long and short vowel in some of them, e.g., in broom, room, and roof.
In addition to such differences in the quality of vowels there were some differences of accent. Shakespeare said persev'er, demon'strate, and generally aspect', de'testable, while he has character, coin'mendable, envy', se'cure, welcome', etc., in contrast to the accentuation that is customary in these words today.
On the whole, however, we should probably have little more difficulty in understanding Shakespeare's pronunciation than we experience in listening to a broad Irish brogue.
after A.C. Baugh and T. Cable
5. The aim of the stugy of the subject
6. Inner and outer history of the language
7. Ancient Germans
3.1. Written evidence
8. Chief characteristics of Germanic languages
4.1. Alphabets
4.2. Phonetics
4.3. Morphology
4.4. Grammar Structure
1. The problem of Enlish language periodisation.
2. Outer history of the Old English
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2.1. Early settlers
2,2. The Celts and their languages
2.3The Romans’ invasion3. The dialects in Old English
4. Old English written records
1. OLD ENGLISH PHONETICS
1.1 Vowel phonemes
1.1.1 Origin of the OE vowel phonemes
1.1.2. Rules of reading for the OE vowels
1.1.3. Changes in the OE vowel phonemes
1.1.3.1. Breaking
1.1.3.2. Palatal mutation
1.2. Old English consonants
1.2.1.
1.2.2. Grimm’s law & Verner’s law
2. OLD ENGLISH WORD (LEXICS)
2.1. OE word-stock
2.2. Enlarging OE vocabulary
2.2.1. Word-building
2.2.2. Borrowing
2.3. Poetical Words
3. OLD ENGLISH SPELLING
Old English grammar
THE NOMINAL SYSTEM.
1. General survey of the nominal system
2. The noun
2.1.Gender
2.2.Number
2.3.Case
2.4.Homonymity of forms in Old English and its
influence on the further development of noun
forms
3. The pronoun
3.1.Personal pronouns 3.2.Other pronouns
4. The adjective
4.1.Declension of adjectives 4.2.Degrees of comparison of adjectives
1. SCANDINAVIAN INVASION
2. NORMAN CONQUEST
3. NORMANS IN FRANCE
4. FORMATION OF THE ENGLISH NATIONAL LANGUAGE
5. MIDDLE ENGLISH WRITTEN RECORDS
6. CHANGES IN GRAPHICS
7. DEVELOPMENT OF WORD-STOCK
BORROWINGS
1. Changes in the phonetic system in Middle English
1.1. Vowels in the unstressed position
1.2. Vowels under stress
1.2.1. Qualitative changes
1.2.2. Quantitative changes
1.3. Consonants
2. Changes in the phonetic system in New English
2.1. Vowels in the unstressed position
2.2. Vowels under stress
2.2.1. Qualitative changes
2.2.2. Quantitative changes
2.3. Consonants
3. Changes in alphabet and spelling in Middle and New English
Table 1
| Dialects | Subdialects | Writtern Records |
| Kentish: | Dan Michel Ayenbite of Inwit (1340) William of Shoreham Poema Morale (begin. XIII cent.) | |
| South-Western: | Laymon Brute (begin.XIII cent.) Ancren Riwle (begin.XIII cent.) Robert of Glouchester Poem’s Chronicle (about 1300) The Owl and the Nightingale (begin.XIII cent.) John Trevisa translation of Polychronion (1387) by Ranylphus Higden | |
| Central: | Western part: Eastern part: | William of Palerne (mid. XIV cent.) Sir Gowayne and the Green Knights (2-nd part of the XIV cent.) King Horn (XIII cent.) Havelok the Dane (XIII cent.) Orm, Ormulum (begin.XIII cent.) Robert Mannyng of Brune Handyng Synne (about 1300) Genesis and Exodus (XIII cent.) Debate of Body and Soul (XIII cent.) Peterborough Chronicle (1132 – 1154) |
| London: | Adam Davy (beg. XIV cent.) Geoffrey Chaucer Canterberry Tales Proclamation of Henry III (1258) Gauer | |
| Northern: | Richard Rolle de Hampole The Prick of Conscience (2-nd part of the XIV cent.) Thomas Casteford Chronicle (1-st part of the XIV cent.) Townely Plays (mysteries) (XIV cent.) York Plays (mysteries) (1-st part of the XIV cent.) | |
| Scotland: | Barbour Bruce James I the King’s Quhair (beg. XV cent.) |
Table 2.
| Old English Nominative Plural a-stem fiscas Genitive Singular fisces MiddleEnglish for both the forms is fisces; Old English Dative Singular fisce Genitive Plural fisca Middle English form in both cases is fisce. |
Table 3. Long Monophthongs
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| Periods Sounds | Old English | Middle English | (New English) |
| ā > o | Stān bāt | ston bōt | stone boat |
| æ >ē | slæpan | slēpen | sleep |
| ў>ī | fўr | fir | fire |
Table 4.
| OldEnglish ē [ē] teþ ō [ō] tōþ ū ūt ī tīma | Middle English teeth tooth out time |
Table 5.
| Old English Middle English pæt that wæs was fyrst first but: tellan tellen hors hors singan singen putan putten |
Table 6. Diphthongs
| Periods Sounds | Old English | Middle English |
| ēo > ē ēa > ē eo > e ea > a | dēop brēad seofon eald | deep bread seven aid |
Table 7
| Old English | Middle English | (New English) |
| dæƷ > daƷ | > dai | day |
| weƷ > weƷ | > wei | way |
| grēƷ > greƷ | >grei | grey |
| draƷan > drawen | > drauen | draw |
| āƷan > 8wen | > ouen | own |
| boƷa > bowe | > boue | bow |
Table 8
| Old English [i] > [i:] climban findan cild [u] > [u:] | Middle English climben finden cild hound | (New English) climb find child hound |
Table 9
| Old English | Middle English | (New English) | |
| a > ā | talu | tale | tale |
| e > ē | sprecan | speken | speak |
| o> ǭ | hopian | hopen | hope |
Table 10
| Old English | Middle English | (New English) |
| cēpte | cepte | keep |
| wīsdōm | wisdom | wisdom |
Table 11
| Middle English | [i:] — [j] child children |
| [e:] — [e] kepen but kept | |
| [i:] — [i] wis wisdom |
Table 12
| Old English | Middle English | |
| [k']>[tj] | cild benc cin cicen | child bench chin chicken |
| [sk'] > [ʃ] | scip sceal | ship shall |
| [g'] > [dƷ] | brycƷ | bridge |
Table 13
| [g] > [dƷ] | bridge |
| [j]' [γ] were vocalized: | dæƷ > dai, Ʒiet > yet, boƷa > boue, draƷan > drauen |
| [g] remained unchanged: | Ʒōd > good |
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| short consonant opposition: [t – d] [p – b] [k – g] [k’– 0] | trēō (tree) – dælan (divide) pōl (puddle, pool) – bæþ (bathing) can (can) – Ʒōd (good) cild (child) – 0 |
| long consonant opposition: [t: – d:] [p: – b:] [k: – g:] [k’– g’] | settan (to place) – hreddan (to deprive) steppan (to step) – hebben (to pick) cnoccian (to knock) – docga (dog) stycce [k’:] (piece) – lecgan [g’] (to lay) |
Table 2 Согласные в начале периода письменных памятников
| Способобразования | Долгота | Голос | Место образования | |||||
| Губные | Переднеязычные | Задне- и среднеязычные | Фарингальные | |||||
| Непалатализованне | Палатализованные | |||||||
| Смычные | Краткие | Глухие | /р/ | /t/ | /к/ /к’/, /sk/ | |||
| Звонкие | /b/ | /d/ | /g/ | |||||
| Геминаты | Глухие | /р:/ | /t: / | /к:/ /к’:/ | ||||
| Звонкие | /b: / | /d: / | /g:/ /g’:/ | |||||
| Щелевые | Краткие | /f-v/ | /ө-ð/ /s-z/ | /χ –χ’/ /γ – γ’/ | ||||
| Геминаты | /f:/ | /ө:/ /s:/ | /χ/ /χ’:/ | |||||
| /h/ | ||||||||
Table 3 Согласные на рубеже древне- и среднеанглицского периода
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| Способобразования | Долгота | Голос | Место образования | ||||
| Губные | Переднеязычные | Заднеящычные | Среднеязычные | Фарингальные | |||
| Смычные | Краткие | Глухие Звонкие | /р/ /b/ | /t/ /d/ | /к/ /g/ | ||
| Геминаты | Глухие Звонкие | /р:/ /b: / | /t: / /d: / | /к:/ /g:/ | |||
| Аффрикаты | Звонкие Глухие | /t∫/ /dƷ/ | |||||
| Щелевые | Краткие | /f-v/ | /ө-ð/ /s-z/ /∫/ | /χ - γ / | /χ’ - γ’/ | ||
| Геминаты | /f:/ | /ө:/ /s:/ | /χ:/ | /χ’:/ | |||
| /h/ |
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