[b]→[g]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 2/5

Velarization Palatalization Romance Bantu

Voiced bilabial plosive to Voiced velar plosive

A shift from the bilabial [b] toward a velar or palatal stop typically occurs through palatalization before front vowels: a following [j] or [i] raises the tongue body, shifting the primary place of articulation away from the lips. In Moldavian Romanian, [b] before a front vowel yields the palatal stop [ɟ] (spelled 'gh-'). In Sakata (Bantu), labial stops developed a secondary velar component through areal diffusion, yielding doubly-articulated labial-velar stops [gb].

Phonetic Effects

Velarization, Palatalization

Language Examples

Moldavian Romanian Romance

bine [b]→ghine [ɟ]— Labial [b] palatalized before front vowel [i], shifting primary articulation to the palate.

biată→ghiată

Sakata Bantu

[b]→[gb]— Simple labial stop developed a secondary velar component via areal diffusion, yielding a doubly-articulated labial-velar.

Related Transformations

Reverse

More Romance Shifts

[ã] → [õ] — Raising [a] → [ã] — Assimilatory Nasalization [a] → [∅] — Elision [a] → [ə] — Vowel Reduction [ai] → [e] — Monophthongization

Sources & References

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