| Title | 20. High Back Vowels |
|---|---|
| Subtitle | ME /uː/, ME /u/ |
| Contributor | Gary D. German (author) |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0537.20 |
| Landing page | http://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0537/chapters/10.11647/obp.0537.20 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Gary D. German |
| Publisher | Open Book Publishers |
| Published on | 2026-05-05 |
| Long abstract | Chapter 20 is dedicated to the diachronic treatment of high back vowels, Middle English (ME) /uː/ and /u/. In the case of /uː/, the route to diphthongization parallels that of the high front ME /iː/ discussed in Chapter 16. As in previous chapters, the crucial role of “bridge” vowels in vocalic shifts is highlighted, along with discussions about the different directions these vowels take across dialects. It is these bridge vowels and the interdialectal confusion in their phonemic status, that provoked the Great Vowel Shift to begin with. The development of Mouth vowels in both colonial America and England is examined in detail. Relics reflecting different stages of evolution are preserved in contemporary English dialects, ranging from highly archaic [uː] to [əu], [au], [ɛu], [æu], [æə], and extending to highly innovative [ɛː] and [æː] in the northwest Midlands of England. Particular attention is given to parallels between colonial American dialects and eastern and midland English varieties.The evolution of ME short /u/ also receives considerable attention, particularly reflexes [ʊ] or [ɤ] in the English Midlands and New England. The Strut-Foot split (usually /ʊ/ > /ʌ/) is generally dated to around 1600. However, in colonial New England the Strut-Foot non-split had not yet occurred. Evidence from the Survey of English Dialects (SED) indicates that this split still had not occurred in large areas of the English Midlands and Northern England. |
| Print length | 34 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
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Gary D. (Manchec) German is a dual French and American national. Born in Paris, he was raised in a multilingual household with deep family roots in Finistère, Lancashire, North Wales and America (Massachusetts & Virginia). He is currently an emeritus professor of English at the Université de Bretagne Occidentale de Brest (Western Brittany, France) where he taught English phonology & grammar, historical linguistics and sociolinguistics from 1999-2018. He has been a member of the Centre de Recherche Bretonne et Celtique (UBO) for forty-five years. In this capacity, he taught Breton historical phonology, Breton dialectology and Middle Welsh literature. Previously, he taught English language and linguistics at the Universities of Nantes, Poitiers as well as French & English at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia (near Washington DC).