Step-by-step explanation:
1. The structure of English was profoundly affected by the leveling of unstressed vowels.
In English, there are stressed and unstressed vowels. Stressed vowels are the ones that receive emphasis when we pronounce words, while unstressed vowels are not emphasized and often sound weaker. The sentence is saying that the way English is structured or organized was greatly influenced by changes that happened to the unstressed vowels.
The term "leveling" refers to a process where different vowel sounds become more similar or "leveled" over time. In this case, the leveling of unstressed vowels means that some of these weak vowel sounds became more alike, causing them to merge or sound similar to each other.
The sentence suggests that this leveling of unstressed vowels had a significant impact on the overall structure of the English language. It implies that changes in the way unstressed vowels were pronounced influenced other aspects of the language, such as grammar, pronunciation, and spelling.
2. Describe the main features of the large vowel inversion that occurred in early modern English.
In early modern English, there was a significant change called "large vowel inversion." This sentence is asking for a description of the main characteristics or features of this change.
The term "vowel inversion" refers to a switch or reversal of vowel sounds in certain words. In this case, "large vowel inversion" specifically refers to a particular type of vowel change that took place during the early modern English period.
The main features of this large vowel inversion include:
1. The long vowels (vowels that are pronounced for a longer duration) underwent a shift in their pronunciation. Some long vowels moved from high positions in the mouth (close to the roof of the mouth) to low positions (closer to the bottom of the mouth) or vice versa.
2. This change affected specific vowel pairs. For example, the vowel pairs "ee" and "ea" experienced a switch in pronunciation. Words that used to have a long "ee" sound now had a long "ea" sound, and vice versa. This resulted in shifts in pronunciation and spelling patterns for certain words.
3. The large vowel inversion had an impact on the overall phonetic system of early modern English. It influenced the way words were pronounced and how vowel sounds were represented in writing.
In summary, the large vowel inversion in early modern English involved a significant shift in the pronunciation of long vowels, particularly in specific vowel pairs. It affected the phonetic system and led to changes in how words were spoken and spelled during that period.