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The Vanishing Final Schwa: How Middle English’s Silent e Reshaped Poetic Rhythm
Episode 207
Published 6 days, 8 hours ago
Description
In this episode we trace the disappearance of the final schwa from late fourteenth‑century London, its impact on Chaucerian meter, and how spelling survived while pronunciation vanished. We explore the interplay of printing technology, the Great Vowel Shift, and standardization that left a legacy in modern reading habits.
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