Abstract
Project Mentor(s): Charles X. Li, PhD
This presentation examines the phonological shift from Chaucerian Middle English to Modern English, focusing on the Great English Vowel Shift. Using the first eighteen lines of Chaucer’s “General Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales as a case study, we demonstrate how vowel sounds in Middle English transitioned to those in Early Modern and Modern English. By analyzing specific words from these opening lines, we illustrate the vowel changes that marked the shift and their impact on pronunciation. Our presentation will conclude with a recitation of Chaucer’s first eighteenth lines, intertwined couplet by couplet by their Modern English counterparts, offering a direct comparison between the sounds of Middle English and Modern English. This provides a clear, audible demonstration of how the Great English Vowel Shift shaped the English pronunciation over time. Recitation recording available in the SOURCE 2025 playlist: https://www.youtube.com/@cwusource5518
SOURCE Form ID
242
Recommended Citation
Li, Charles X.; Liang, Tony; and Saphiloff, Anika
(2025)
"From Canterbury to the Conference: Chaucer’s First 18 Lines Reborn,"
Journal of the Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression: Vol. 1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/jsource/vol1/iss1/4