[ǃ]→[k]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 2/5

Click Loss Velarization Simplification Bantu Khoe

Alveolar click to Voiceless velar plosive

The shift from the voiceless alveolar click [ǃ] to the voiceless velar stop [k] is a classic example of 'click loss'. Because clicks require a primary anterior closure (at the alveolar ridge) and a secondary posterior closure (at the velum), the loss of the complex suction mechanism often results in speakers retaining only the rear velar articulation.

Phonetic Effects

Click Loss, Velarization, Simplification

Language Examples

Tswana vs. Zulu (Nguni) Bantu

uku-qonda [ǃ] (Zulu)→go-konda [k] (Tswana)— Tswana replaced alveolar clicks from Nguni contact words with plain velar stops; Zulu 'q' = [ǃ] (alveolar click in Zulu orthography).

Gǁana / Gǀui Khoe

[ǃ]→[k] / [kx]— In these East Kalahari Khoe languages, the alveolar click shifts to a velar stop or affricate in click-loss contexts.

Related Transformations

Reverse

More Bantu Shifts

[d] → [n] — Nasal Assimilation [j] → [ʑ] — Fortition [k] → [g] — Voicing [k] → [ɣ] — Lenition [n] → [ŋ] — Assimilation

Sources & References

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