[ǃ]→[t]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 2/5

Alveolar click to Voiceless alveolar plosive

The shift from the voiceless alveolar click [ǃ] to the voiceless alveolar pulmonic stop [t] is a primary outcome of 'click loss'. When languages under phonological pressure abandon the complex velaric ingressive airstream mechanism (the 'click' sound), they often retain the primary forward place of articulation, resulting in a standard pulmonic stop.

Phonetic Effects

Click Loss, Simplification

Language Examples

Kalahari Khoe Languages Khoe

[ǃ]→[t]— In languages like Deti or Shua undergoing severe click loss, historical alveolar clicks surface as plain alveolar stops, retaining the front place of articulation.

Yeyi (Shiyeyi) Bantu

[ǃ]→[t]— Younger Yeyi speakers increasingly substitute clicks with plain coronal stops under contact pressure from non-click languages.

Related Transformations

Reverse

More Bantu Shifts

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

Sources & References

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