A Reader in Sociophonetics

The Peripatetic History of Middle English *ѓթ 31

already indicated, the merger of ۘ NAME and æj DAY probably began in
the West Riding of Yorkshire. In the West Riding of Yorkshire and in Lan-
cashire, this was the only merger to occur in the front vowel system, although
the pronunciation of the vowels has changed. The third possible outcome then
is superposition of this merger on the preceding ܭࡃ/ܭࡂ/ۘ HEAP/SPEAK/
NAME merger or near merger, giving rise to a system in which ܭࡃ/ܭࡂ/ۘ /*æj

Table 1.2 Possible Descendants of Vowel System (1.3c)

Outcome

# of

Different

Vowels

Changes

from 1.3c

Contrasting

Word Classe s Where Attested

1. 3 no change HEAP/SPEAK/
   NAME vs. DAY
   vs. FEED

Yorks, Hamps, parts

of Gloucestershire,

Cornwall, Devon,

Suffolk

2. 4 Resplit HEAP/SPEAK vs.
   NAME vs. DAY
   vs. FEED

parts of Cumberland,

Lancs, parts of NW

Yo r k s , D o r s e t , E s s e x

3. 2 Merger 1 HEAP/SPEAK/
   NAME/DAY vs.
   FEED

SED site Ch 6

(Hanmer, Flintshire)

4. 3 Resplit +
   Merger 1

HEAP/SPEAK vs.

NAME/DAY vs.

FEED

Central Yorks

and Lincolnshire,

West morla nd

5. 2 Merger 2 HEAP/SPEAK/
   NAME/FEED vs.
   DAY

Scattered locations

in N Yorks, Hamps,

Staffordshire

6. 3 Resplit +
   Merger 2

HEAP/SPEAK/

FEED vs. NAME

vs. DAY

East Anglia, Kent,

Wilts, Somerset,

Oxfordshire,

Herefordshire; earlier

and independently in

far North

7. 2 Re s pl it +
   Merger 1 +
   Merger 2

HEAP/SPEAK/

FEED vs. NAME/

DAY

SE England, S

Midlands (Standard

English)

8. 1 Merger 1 +
   Merger 2

HEAP/SPEAK/

FEED/NAME/

DAY

Not attested