On this episode of Our American Stories, in the late Middle Ages, English began to change in a way people could hear as much as read. Speakers across England gradually started pronouncing vowels differently, setting the language on a path from Middle English toward what we now recognize as modern English.

That long transition, known as the Great Vowel Shift, helps explain why English spelling and pronunciation so often feel out of sync, since the words on the page stayed largely the same while their sounds continued to evolve over generations.

The History Guy shares how the Great Vowel Shift reshaped spoken English and left a lasting imprint on the language we use today.

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