User:Grover cleveland/Vowels before R

from Early modern English By Charles Laurence Barber Edition: 2, revised, illustrated, reprint Published by Edinburgh University Press, 1997 ISBN 0748608354

p. 121.

Middle English:

FRONT        CENTRAL             BACK LONG SHORT            SHORT   LONG fire   birth           curse     flour fi:r   bIr#            kUrs      flu:r peer                              moor pe:r                              mo:r bear    herb            corn      more bE:r     Erb            kOrn      mO:r fare     yarn fa:r     jarn

After GVS: (stage 1) (normal 16th cent)

FRONT        CENTRAL             BACK LONG SHORT            SHORT   LONG peer   birth           curse     moor pi:r   bIr#            kUrs      mu:r bear    herb                      more bE:r     Erb                      mO:r fare     yarn           corn fae:r     jarn          kArn

Stage 2: front vowels develop (common by c. 1600) FRONT        CENTRAL             BACK LONG SHORT            SHORT   LONG peer                    curse     moor pi:@r                   kUrs      mu:r birth b@r# herb @rb bear                              more bE:r                              mO:r fare fE:r     yarn           corn jarn         kArn

Stage 3: (17th century -- complete by 1700) FRONT        CENTRAL             BACK LONG SHORT            SHORT   LONG peer                              moor pi:@r                             mu:r birth b@r# herb @rb curse k@rs bear                              more bE:r                              mO:r fare fE:r yarn                               corn ja:rn                              kA:rn