[b]→[ɸ]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 4/5

Lenition Spirantization Devoicing Austronesian Phonetic Change Consonant Shift

Voiced bilabial plosive to Voiceless bilabial fricative

The transformation of the voiced bilabial plosive /b/ into the voiceless bilabial fricative /ɸ/ is a documented sound change in historical linguistics. This shift exemplifies a combination of lenition, where a stop consonant weakens to a fricative, and devoicing, where the vocal cords cease vibration during articulation. Such changes often occur in environments that favor reduced articulatory effort.

Phonetic Effects

Lenition, Spirantization, Devoicing, Opening of Articulation

Language Examples

Teiwa Austronesian

*b→/ɸ/— A noninitial Proto-language *b underwent a phonemic split to /ɸ/ and /v/.

Nedebang Austronesian

*b→/ɸ/— A noninitial Proto-language *b underwent a phonemic split to /ɸ/ and /v/.

Related Transformations

Reverse Common lenition of /b/ to voiced fricative Similar lenition and devoicing for voiceless counterpart Further shift to labiodental fricative

More Lenition Shifts

[a] → [∅] — Elision [b] → [p] — Voice Loss [b] → [v] — Spirantization [tɕ] → [ʃ] — De-affrication [tɕ] → [ɕ] — Lenition

Sources & References

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