Sound change and alternation |
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Fortition |
Dissimilation |
Delateralization is a replacement of a lateral consonant by a central consonant.
Arguably, the best known example of this sound change is yeísmo, which occurs in many Spanish and some Galician dialects.
In accents with yeísmo, the palatal lateral approximant /ʎ/ merges with the palatal approximant /ʝ/ which, phonetically, can be an affricate [ ɟ͡ʝ] (word-initially and after /n/), an approximant [ ʝ̞] (in other environments) or a fricative [ ʝ] (in the same environments as the approximant, but only in careful speech).
In Romanian, the palatal lateral approximant /ʎ/ merged with /j/ centuries ago. The same happened to the historic palatal nasal /ɲ/, although that is an example of lenition.
In French, ⟨il⟩ (except in the word "il" [il]) and ⟨ill⟩ (usually followed by "e"; exceptions include "ville" [vil]) are usually pronounced [ij]. It generally occurs word- or morpheme-finally. For example, travail "work" (noun) [tʁavaj], gentil "kind" masculine singular [ʒɛ̃tij], travaillait "(he/she/it) used to work" [tʁavaje], gentille "kind" feminine singular [ʒɛ̃tij].
Furthermore, when a French word ending in al is pluralized, rather than becoming als, it becomes aux. For example, un animal spécial "a special animal" > des animaux spéciaux "(some) special animals".
Delateralisation can occur in Turkish. Its one lateral is [l], which can become [j] after [i]. For example, değil "not" is pronounced [de.ij].
When [l] appears word-finally, or after a vowel and before a consonant, it can become [w]. For example, little [ˈlɪ.tʰl̩] > [ˈlɪ.tʰw̩], bell [bɛl] > [bɛw], help [hɛlp] > [hɛwpʰ].
The Polish letter Ł represents the sound [w]. This is evidence of a delateralised sound.
Another known example of delateralization is the sound change that happened to the Arabic ḍād, which, historically, was a lateral consonant, either a pharyngealized voiced alveolar lateral fricative or a similar affricated sound [ d͡ɮˤ] or [ dˡˤ]. [1] [2] The affricated form is suggested by loans of ḍ into Akkadian as ld or lṭ and into Malaysian as dl. [3] However, some linguists, such as the French orientalist André Roman supposes that the letter was actually a pharyngealized voiced alveolo-palatal sibilant [ʑˤ], similar to the Polish ź, which is not a lateral sound. [1] [2] [4]
In modern Arabic, there are three possible realizations of this sound, all of which are central: [3]
Sound change and alternation |
---|
Fortition |
Dissimilation |
Delateralization is a replacement of a lateral consonant by a central consonant.
Arguably, the best known example of this sound change is yeísmo, which occurs in many Spanish and some Galician dialects.
In accents with yeísmo, the palatal lateral approximant /ʎ/ merges with the palatal approximant /ʝ/ which, phonetically, can be an affricate [ ɟ͡ʝ] (word-initially and after /n/), an approximant [ ʝ̞] (in other environments) or a fricative [ ʝ] (in the same environments as the approximant, but only in careful speech).
In Romanian, the palatal lateral approximant /ʎ/ merged with /j/ centuries ago. The same happened to the historic palatal nasal /ɲ/, although that is an example of lenition.
In French, ⟨il⟩ (except in the word "il" [il]) and ⟨ill⟩ (usually followed by "e"; exceptions include "ville" [vil]) are usually pronounced [ij]. It generally occurs word- or morpheme-finally. For example, travail "work" (noun) [tʁavaj], gentil "kind" masculine singular [ʒɛ̃tij], travaillait "(he/she/it) used to work" [tʁavaje], gentille "kind" feminine singular [ʒɛ̃tij].
Furthermore, when a French word ending in al is pluralized, rather than becoming als, it becomes aux. For example, un animal spécial "a special animal" > des animaux spéciaux "(some) special animals".
Delateralisation can occur in Turkish. Its one lateral is [l], which can become [j] after [i]. For example, değil "not" is pronounced [de.ij].
When [l] appears word-finally, or after a vowel and before a consonant, it can become [w]. For example, little [ˈlɪ.tʰl̩] > [ˈlɪ.tʰw̩], bell [bɛl] > [bɛw], help [hɛlp] > [hɛwpʰ].
The Polish letter Ł represents the sound [w]. This is evidence of a delateralised sound.
Another known example of delateralization is the sound change that happened to the Arabic ḍād, which, historically, was a lateral consonant, either a pharyngealized voiced alveolar lateral fricative or a similar affricated sound [ d͡ɮˤ] or [ dˡˤ]. [1] [2] The affricated form is suggested by loans of ḍ into Akkadian as ld or lṭ and into Malaysian as dl. [3] However, some linguists, such as the French orientalist André Roman supposes that the letter was actually a pharyngealized voiced alveolo-palatal sibilant [ʑˤ], similar to the Polish ź, which is not a lateral sound. [1] [2] [4]
In modern Arabic, there are three possible realizations of this sound, all of which are central: [3]