What is the Great Vowel Shift and roughly when did it occur?

• A. A minor change in English consonants in the 1800s.
• B. A regional movement in spelling reform.
• C. A major shift in English vowel pronunciation, roughly 1400–1700.
• D. A change in the use of pronouns in Early Modern English.

Answer: (C)

The Great Vowel Shift is a major change in how long vowels were pronounced in English as the language moved from Middle English into Early Modern English. It happened roughly between 1400 and 1700. During this time, many long vowel sounds rose or shifted and often became diphthongs, so the pronunciation of many common words ended up different from how they are spelled today. This isn’t about consonants, spelling reform, or pronouns—it's a big phonetic reorganization of vowels that helps explain why English pronunciation and spelling diverge in so many words. You’ll see its impact in everyday words like bite, name, food, and goose, where the vowel sounds now sound quite different from their Middle English predecessors. The changes were widespread, especially in southern England, and over the period contributed to the Modern English vowel system we use now.