‘wind’ used to be pronounced ‘waind’, as in ‘find’ it had a longer vowel, which was pronounced in a lower place in the mouth to its modern pronunciation. Long vowels shifted upwards that is, a vowel that used to be pronounced in a lower place in the mouth would be pronounced in a different place, higher up in the mouth. You see, back in 16th-century England, some pronunciations were pretty different, owing to a Great Vowel Shift – a series of changes in pronunciation that affected the long vowels used in English – roughly during the 15th to 18th centuries.
It’s the carol’s sheer age that contributes to this. Last year, we noticed carol singers and vexed tweeters were taking to their keyboards to vent over the fact second and forth lines of the third verse of ‘God Rest Ye’ don’t rhyme exactly as they should. New Zealand Police warm hearts as they sing Christmas carols Why don’t all the lyrics in ‘God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen’ rhyme? What are the full lyrics to ‘God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen’? The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge rehearses ahead of Festival of Christmas Day’s Nine Lessons and Carols.