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Abstract: The Great Vowel Shift clearly shows the variation process in the phonological development. The phonological development regularity from the conventional and unconventional perspective has been discovered.
Key words: conventions；unconventions；phonology；regularity
1. Introduction: The Great Vowel Shift
If we take Elfric for the Old English period, Chaucer, for the Middle English, and Shakespeare for the early Modern period, main changes in the pronunciation of the vowels have taken place during the history of English. The changes between Chaucer’s time and that of Shakespeare are commonly referred to as “The Great Vowel Shift”.
2. Sentence Stress
Words which are usually stressed in English belong to content words such as nouns. Those which are usually unstressed in English are form words such as auxiliary verbs. Obviously these have been conventional.
But when the situations change, the sentence stress may also change, which may be called an unconventionality, and which will gradually form a new conventionality. The following is the three new cases from unconventionality to conventionality:
2.1 When we want to specially emphasize or contrast some word, we don’t obey the conventional rule.
2.2 Some form words are stressed in certain special cases：
(1)auxiliary and model verbs, as well as the linking verb “ to be ”, are stressed in some particular cases；(2)prepositions are usually stressed in some particular cases；(3)conjunctions are usually stressed if they stand at the beginning of a sentence and are followed by an unstressed word；
2.3 Some content words aren’t stressed in certain cases：(1)a word that has just been used isn’t stressed, as it is a known message；(2) the word “street” in names of streets is never stressed；(3)in exclamatory sentences such words as “what” “how” etc. are usually not stressed in order to give emphasis to the adjectives (or adverbs)；(4)the word “so” isn’t stressed if it replaces a noun or a noun phrase and is used as the object of a verb；(5)the word “most” isn’t stressed when it means “very” or “extremely” except for special emphasis；(6)demonstrative pronouns “this”, “that”, having the meaning of “it” and “the”, isn’t stressed；(7)demonstrative pronoun “this” in “this morning ( afternoon, evening ) isn’t stressed；(8) adverb “enough” preceded by an adjective or another adverb, isn’t stressed；(9)adverb of degree followed by strongly stressed words often lose their stress
3. Uses of tones
The falling tone expresses “certainty” or “completeness”. Thus a straight-forward statement normally ends with a falling tone. Obviously the use of the falling tone has become a kind of conventionality in the following:(1)ordinary statements;(2)wh questions;(3)imperative sentences;(4) exclamatory sentences;(5) the final part of the alternative question;(6) the former part of the adjunctive questions.
Basically the rising tone expresses “uncertainty” or “incompleteness” or “politeness.” A general question usually has a rising tone, as the speaker is uncertain of the truth of what he is asking about. Obviously the uses of rising tones have become conventional in the following:(1)yes-no questions showing great or uncertainty;(2)the preceding alternatives in alternative questions;(3)tag questions of some disjunctive questions;(4)incomplete groups or enumerations;(6)adverbial at the beginning of sentences;(7)tag questions after commands (in fact a form of invitation);(8)end-position adverbials which are less important in the sentence.
If all sentence patterns obeyed the rules, the English language would not be so lively and interesting. The following unconventions can be found：(1)rhetorical questions, which need not be answered since the answers are obvious;(2)a short question used as a response;(3)a repetition question;(4)a request imperative sentence;(5)a soothing or encouraging statement;(6)a special question that sounds more friendly and concerned.
They don’t possess the conventional rising tone or falling tone. In fact, some sentences don’t possess entirely a rising or a falling tone, which is obviously unconventional, but this kind of tone combines the falling tone’s meaning of “assertion” “certainty” with the rising tone’s meaning of “incompleteness.” At the end of a sentence, it often conveys a feeling of reservation, that is, it asserts something and at the same time suggests that there’s something else to be said. It seems that all is clear but more is involved. It’s used to show contrast, implication, disagreement, contradiction or warning.
4 .Conclusion
Take “new” for example to display the great vowel shift. Old English,Middle English and Modern English have different vowels /eu/ /iu/ /ju:/. Conspicuously，“new” underwent three processes (U1→C1; U2→C2; U3→C3). /eu/ is the foundation of the second process;/eu/ and/iu/ are foundations of the third process (K2 ( C1+C2 )). Therefore, any phonological entity develops like this.
Ep（U1→C2）→K1 C1 （U2→C2）→K2（C1+C2）（U3→C3）→…→Kn-1(C1+C2+…+Cn-1)(Un→Cn)→…→…
Ep means English phonology.
Key words: conventions；unconventions；phonology；regularity
1. Introduction: The Great Vowel Shift
If we take Elfric for the Old English period, Chaucer, for the Middle English, and Shakespeare for the early Modern period, main changes in the pronunciation of the vowels have taken place during the history of English. The changes between Chaucer’s time and that of Shakespeare are commonly referred to as “The Great Vowel Shift”.
2. Sentence Stress
Words which are usually stressed in English belong to content words such as nouns. Those which are usually unstressed in English are form words such as auxiliary verbs. Obviously these have been conventional.
But when the situations change, the sentence stress may also change, which may be called an unconventionality, and which will gradually form a new conventionality. The following is the three new cases from unconventionality to conventionality:
2.1 When we want to specially emphasize or contrast some word, we don’t obey the conventional rule.
2.2 Some form words are stressed in certain special cases：
(1)auxiliary and model verbs, as well as the linking verb “ to be ”, are stressed in some particular cases；(2)prepositions are usually stressed in some particular cases；(3)conjunctions are usually stressed if they stand at the beginning of a sentence and are followed by an unstressed word；
2.3 Some content words aren’t stressed in certain cases：(1)a word that has just been used isn’t stressed, as it is a known message；(2) the word “street” in names of streets is never stressed；(3)in exclamatory sentences such words as “what” “how” etc. are usually not stressed in order to give emphasis to the adjectives (or adverbs)；(4)the word “so” isn’t stressed if it replaces a noun or a noun phrase and is used as the object of a verb；(5)the word “most” isn’t stressed when it means “very” or “extremely” except for special emphasis；(6)demonstrative pronouns “this”, “that”, having the meaning of “it” and “the”, isn’t stressed；(7)demonstrative pronoun “this” in “this morning ( afternoon, evening ) isn’t stressed；(8) adverb “enough” preceded by an adjective or another adverb, isn’t stressed；(9)adverb of degree followed by strongly stressed words often lose their stress
3. Uses of tones
The falling tone expresses “certainty” or “completeness”. Thus a straight-forward statement normally ends with a falling tone. Obviously the use of the falling tone has become a kind of conventionality in the following:(1)ordinary statements;(2)wh questions;(3)imperative sentences;(4) exclamatory sentences;(5) the final part of the alternative question;(6) the former part of the adjunctive questions.
Basically the rising tone expresses “uncertainty” or “incompleteness” or “politeness.” A general question usually has a rising tone, as the speaker is uncertain of the truth of what he is asking about. Obviously the uses of rising tones have become conventional in the following:(1)yes-no questions showing great or uncertainty;(2)the preceding alternatives in alternative questions;(3)tag questions of some disjunctive questions;(4)incomplete groups or enumerations;(6)adverbial at the beginning of sentences;(7)tag questions after commands (in fact a form of invitation);(8)end-position adverbials which are less important in the sentence.
If all sentence patterns obeyed the rules, the English language would not be so lively and interesting. The following unconventions can be found：(1)rhetorical questions, which need not be answered since the answers are obvious;(2)a short question used as a response;(3)a repetition question;(4)a request imperative sentence;(5)a soothing or encouraging statement;(6)a special question that sounds more friendly and concerned.
They don’t possess the conventional rising tone or falling tone. In fact, some sentences don’t possess entirely a rising or a falling tone, which is obviously unconventional, but this kind of tone combines the falling tone’s meaning of “assertion” “certainty” with the rising tone’s meaning of “incompleteness.” At the end of a sentence, it often conveys a feeling of reservation, that is, it asserts something and at the same time suggests that there’s something else to be said. It seems that all is clear but more is involved. It’s used to show contrast, implication, disagreement, contradiction or warning.
4 .Conclusion
Take “new” for example to display the great vowel shift. Old English,Middle English and Modern English have different vowels /eu/ /iu/ /ju:/. Conspicuously，“new” underwent three processes (U1→C1; U2→C2; U3→C3). /eu/ is the foundation of the second process;/eu/ and/iu/ are foundations of the third process (K2 ( C1+C2 )). Therefore, any phonological entity develops like this.
Ep（U1→C2）→K1 C1 （U2→C2）→K2（C1+C2）（U3→C3）→…→Kn-1(C1+C2+…+Cn-1)(Un→Cn)→…→…
Ep means English phonology.