Growth of Long Monophthongs and Diphthongs in Early New English due to Vocalisation of Consonants.
Vocalization of some fricative consonants led to the appearance of long monophthongs and of new diphthongs - with i- and u-glides during the Early ME period. Similar processes continued in later ages. Two voiceless fricatives, [x] and [x’], were vocalized towards the end of the ME period. The glide [u] had probably developed before the velar consonant [x] even before its vocalization; it is regularly shown in ME spellings, e.g. ME taughte, braughte.
The palatal fricative [x'] changed to [j]. it changed into the vowel [i] and together with the preceding [i] yielded (дал) a long monophthong [i:], which participated in the Great Vowel Shift. Thus, words like night, since the age of Chaucer have passed through the following stages: [nix't ]> [nijt ]> [ni:t ]> [nait].
The most important instance (пример) of vocalization is the development of [r], which accounts for (объясняет) the appearance of many new long monothtongs and diphthongs.
The sonorant [r] began to produce a certain influence upon the preceding vowels in Late ME, long before (задолго до того, как) it showed any signs (признаки) of vocalization. [r] made the preceding vowel more open and retracted: the cluster [er] changed to [ar], e.g. OE deorc became Early ME derk [derk] due to the contraction (из-за сокращения) of the OE diphthong [eo ] to [e ], and changed to dark [dark] in Late ME.
In Early NE [r] was vocalized when it stood after vowels, either finally (либо в конце) or followed by another consonant (либо сопровождался другим гласным). Losing its consonantal character [r] changed into the neutral sound [∂], which was added to the preceding vowel as a glide thus forming a diphthong; e.g. ME there > NE there.
