Great Vowel Shift
A series of changes in late Middle English, by which close long vowels became diphthongs and other long vowels shifted one step closer. Thus, in the front series, [aː]>[ɛː], [ɛː]>[eː], [eː]>[iː], [iː]>[aɪ]; in the back series, [ɔː]>[oː], [oː]>[uː], [uː]>[aʊ]. Often interpreted as a unitary phenomenon; hence as a classic example of a ... ...
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