Describe spelling changes from Middle to Modern English.

1. The use of the letter "y" in Middle English was often replaced with the letter "i" in Modern English. For example, "mylk" became "milk" and "myne" became "mine".

2. The use of the letter "u" in Middle English was often replaced with the letter "o" in Modern English. For example, "soule" became "soul" and "houre" became "hour".

3. The use of the letter "gh" in Middle English was often simplified in Modern English. For example, "ght" became "ght" in words like "night" and "light".

4. The use of silent letters in Middle English was often dropped in Modern English. For example, the "e" at the end of words like "love" and "hate" was pronounced in Middle English but is now silent in Modern English.

5. The use of double consonants in Middle English was often simplified in Modern English. For example, "shipp" became "ship" and "bokke" became "book".

6. The use of the letter "c" in Middle English was often replaced with the letter "k" or "s" in Modern English. For example, "candel" became "candle" and "crist" became "Christ".

Overall, spelling changes from Middle to Modern English have resulted in a more standardized and simplified system of spelling.

Consonant Changes:

- Voicing/Devoicing:
- "f" to "v" in words like "wife" and "love"
- "k" to "g" in words like "knife" and "dog"
- Loss of Final Consonants:
- Drop of "-e" in words like "make" and "have"
- Drop of "-n" in words like "heaven" and "open"
- Assimilation:
- "b" to "p" before "t" in words like "debt" and "receipt"
- "d" to "t" before "s" in words like "holds" and "hats"

Vowel Changes:

- Great Vowel Shift: A series of dramatic shifts in vowel sounds, including:
- Long "a" to "ei" or "ay" (e.g., "name" to "neigh")
- Long "o" to "u" or "ou" (e.g., "moon" to "mound")
- Long "u" to "ai" or "aw" (e.g., "house" to "howse")
- Diphthongization: Vowels became diphthongs (two-part sounds), such as "ai" in "rain" and "au" in "taught."
- Monophthongization: Some diphthongs simplified to single vowels, such as "ou" in "house" to "o" in "home."

Other Changes:

- Stress Shifts: Changes in the emphasis or stress of certain syllables, leading to new pronunciations (e.g., "cómplicate" to "compléte").
- Loss of Flexional -e: The final "-e" in Middle English words was often dropped, resulting in shorter forms (e.g., "lovede" to "loved").
- Breaking of Diphthongs: Some diphthongs broke apart into two separate vowels (e.g., "ai" in "fair" to "ai-e").
- Introduction of Silent Letters: Silent consonants (e.g., "k" in "knight") were added to words to soften pronunciations or reflect older spellings.