Bailey Waves in the GVS (Great Vowel Shift): Evidence from the LAE (Linguistic Atlas of England)

Abstract

The publication of the Linguistic Atlas of England in 1978 now enables us to test Bailey’s wave theory with general evidence for the whole of England. This new evidence strongly supports Bailey’s theory, for we find that the most advanced variants of a variable (located at the presumed origin of a wave) tend to be surrounded by "layers" of successively less advanced variants as we move away from the origin towards the "front" of the wave. Bailey’s theory enables us to reach conclusions about the diachrony of the Great Vowel Shift which are based solely on synchronic evidence.