Great Vowel Shift
A major phonological change occurring in English pronunciation between roughly the 15th and 17th centuries, dramatically changing vowel sounds.
Real World
Before the Great Vowel Shift, Chaucer's word 'time' was pronounced closer to modern 'teem'; the shift explains why English spelling often looks nothing like its pronunciation today.
Exam Focus
Explain the GVS as a chain shift and link it directly to the spelling-pronunciation mismatch — a common exam question angle.
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