Great Vowel Shift
A major phonological change in Middle English (roughly 1350-1700) where vowel sounds systematised and shifted, affecting pronunciation but not spelling, creating modern English's vowel system.
Real World
The word 'bite' was pronounced 'beet' in Chaucer's time; the Great Vowel Shift changed its pronunciation but English spelling, already standardised by Caxton's printing press in 1476, never caught up.
Exam Focus
Link the Great Vowel Shift to spelling-pronunciation mismatches when analysing standardisation or orthographic conventions.
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