Comparing them in English and French gives a clear reflection of the Great Vowel Shift: A, B, C, and D are pronounced  in today's English, but in contemporary French they are .
kəmpˈɛɹɪŋ ðˌɛm ɪn ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ ænd fɹˈɛntʃ ɡˈɪvz ɐ klˈɪɹ ɹᵻflˈɛkʃən ʌvðə ɡɹˈeɪt vˈaʊəl ʃˈɪft: ˈeɪ, bˈiː, sˈiː, ænd dˈiː ɑːɹ pɹənˈaʊnst ɪn tədˈeɪz ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ, bˌʌt ɪn kəntˈɛmpɚɹˌɛɹi fɹˈɛntʃ ðeɪ ɑːɹ .