The Universal Atlas of Phonetic Evolution
Back to Matrix [s] → [d] Edit this Data

[d]→[s]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 4/5

Voiced alveolar plosive to Voiceless alveolar fricative

A direct shift from the voiced stop [d] to the voiceless sibilant [s] is usually the result of total assimilation in consonant clusters or a complex path of palatalization and affrication.

Phonetic Effects

Assibilation, Assimilation, Devoicing

Language Examples

vid-tus→vīsus [s]— Stem-final /d/ + suffix /t/ → cluster *[dt] → total assimilation to [ss] → simplified to [s]; cf. 'vidēre' (to see).
ad-sedēre→assedēre— Prefix /d/ totally assimilated to following /s/, yielding geminate [ss] → [s].

Related Transformations

More Assimilation Shifts

Sources & References

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