N. American English

European Settlement of N. America

• Early Modern English – Shakespeare

Early Modern English – a reminder

• Use of do as an auxiliary

1. affirmative: I do think

2. interrogative: do you think?

3. negative: I do not think

Early Modern English – a reminder

• Use of do as an auxiliary

1. affirmative: v.common 1500-1700; died out in prose in 18th century

She ded call after hym ryght pyteousli (Caxton 1489)

Early Modern English – a reminder

• Use of do as an auxiliary

1. affirmative: to avoid inversion

There did I see that low-spirited Swaine (Shakespeare)

Not a single word did Peggotty speak (Dickens)

Well do I remember the scene

Early Modern English – a reminder

• Use of do as an auxiliary

1. affirmative: in Modern English only emphatic/repetitive:

But we do want him

Early Modern English – a reminder

• Use of do as an auxiliary

2 Interrogative. The original form was simple inversion:

slæpest þú ‘do you sleep?’

What rowne ye with oure mayde ‘What are you whispering to our girl?’ (Chaucer)

What tolde I thee ? (Chaucer)

Early Modern English – a reminder

• Use of do as an auxiliary

2 Interrogative

Shakespeare could use both simple inversion or do:

Wash they his wounds with tears?

Dost thou forget from what a torment I did free thee?

Early Modern English – a reminder

• Use of do as an auxiliary

3 Negativehéo ne lufode hine (OE)

ho ne luvede him (early ME)

sche ne luvede him noht (later ME)

she loved him not (Shakespeare)

(she did not love him) (Shakespeare)

she did not love him (Modern English)

Early Modern English – a reminder

• Use of do as an auxiliary

3 Negative

Some verbs can still use simple “not”:

I know not, it matters not, I think not

won’t aren’t ain't

Early Modern English – a reminder

• 2nd-person forms of addressOE:   singular   þú þé þín

            plural     gé éow éower

There was also a dual:  git inc incer

ME:   singular   þou þe þíne

            plural     ye you your

Late ME: ye you your came to be used as a polite form.

Shakespeare had thou, thee, thine in singular; ye you your in the plural and the polite form.

Only you your remain today.

Early Modern English – a reminder

• Fully rhoticfarmer, Shakespeare, horse, heart, China

• No FOOT-STRUT Splitbutcher, cut, love, brother

• No BATH-TRAP Splitfancy, dancing, laugh, ask, demand

• Great Vowel Shift without later Diphthonging → → →

• Great Vowel Shift without later Diphthonging

tide

sweet

clean

name

house

moon

stone

• Great Vowel Shift without later Diphthonging

tide

sweet

clean

name

house

moon

stone

• Great Vowel Shift without later Diphthonging

Middle English

Great Vowel Shift Shakespeare

BritishAmerican

R DroppingBATH Broadening

BritishS. Hem

Front Vowel Raising H-Dropping T-Glotalling

L-Vocalization

Loss of distinctivelength

LOT Unrounding Later Yod Dropping

T-Voicing

Middle English

Great Vowel Shift Shakespeare

BritishAmerican

R DroppingBATH Broadening

BritishS. Hem

Front Vowel Raising H-Dropping T-Glotalling

L-Vocalization

Diphthong Shift

FOOT-STRUT SplitNURSE Merger

Loss of distinctivelength

LOT Unrounding Later Yod Dropping

T-Voicing

BATH Lengthening

American English

• Loss of distinctive length

• LOT Unrounding

• Later Yod Dropping

• T-Voicing

American English

• Loss of distinctive length– Effects BATH and CLOTH– BATH Lengthening disappears– CLOTH-LOT Split is no longer a length split

• It may be that the CLOTH-LOT Split in America (“hot dog split”) and the CLOTH-LOT Split in England (now practically defunct) are 2 independent developments

American English

• BATH

• bath=trap in GenAm

• bath=palm=start in RP

originalBATH-TRAP

Split

American English

LOT Unrounding (Also in SW England and Ireland – independent? Or does Irish have an effect on American?)

American English

LOT Unrounding– resulting in LOT-PALM merger

American English

• Loss of distinctive length

• LOT Unrounding – LOT-PALM Merger– LOT-THOUGHT Merger

trap bath palm (start) lot thought

LOT-THOUGHT Merger

collar~caller don~dawncot~caught knotty~naughtystock~stalk

Everywhere except in the East; is also spreading in the East (Wells 3 6.1.2 )

Minimal pairs in British English and in E. Am.Merged in Gen.Am and Scotland

East:

American English

• Loss of distinctive length

• LOT Unrounding

• Later Yod DroppingEarlier Yod Dropping

in England:

shrew rude blue

American English

• Loss of distinctive length

• LOT Unrounding

• Later Yod DroppingLater Yod Dropping

in America:

tune student duke

new numerous

enthusiasm suit presume

lewd allude

American English

• Loss of distinctive length

• LOT Unrounding

• Later Yod DroppingGeneralized Yod Dropping

in Britain, E. Anglia

few music

cube Hugh

American English

• Loss of distinctive length

• LOT Unrounding

• Later Yod Dropping

• T-Voicing, NT Coalescence

American English

• Loss of distinctive length

• LOT Unrounding

• Later Yod Dropping

• T-Voicing, NT Coalescencelatter ~ ladder carting ~ carding

writer ~ rider partner or pardner ?

internet ~ innernet, international ~ innernational

wanna, gonna

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