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

[d]→[u]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 4/5

Voiced alveolar plosive to Close back rounded vowel

The phonetic transformation from a voiced alveolar plosive /d/ to a close back rounded vowel /u/ is not a direct single-step shift, but rather a multi-stage process involving lenition and subsequent vocalization. This chain typically involves an intermediate stage where /d/ first lenites to a labial-velar approximant /w/, which then vocalizes to /u/.

Phonetic Effects

Lenition, Vocalization, Labialization, Backing, Rounding

Language Examples

sĕdēre→seure— Latin /d/ lenited to /w/ (represented as 'u' in orthography) in words like Latin 'sĕdēre' becoming Catalan 'seure'.
crĕdēre→creure— Latin /d/ lenited to /w/ in 'crĕdēre' becoming 'creure'.
radĕre→raure— Latin /d/ lenited to /w/ in 'radĕre' becoming 'raure'.
d-forms→w-forms— A shift from 'd'-forms to 'w'-forms was ongoing in Early and Late Modern Dutch, indicating a lenition of /d/ to /w/.
/d/→/w/— The change of /d/ to /w/ is attested in Mukrī Kurdish dialects.
[aw]→[au]— Vocalization of [w] to [u] after Middle English vowels, forming diphthongs like [au] from 'strawe'.
[ow]→[ou]— Vocalization of [w] to [u] after Middle English vowels, forming diphthongs like [ou] from 'glowen'.
[ew]→[eu]— Vocalization of [w] to [u] after Middle English vowels, forming diphthongs like [eu] from 'fewe'.
[iw]→[iu]— Vocalization of [w] to [u] after Middle English vowels, forming diphthongs like [iu] from 'trewe' or 'newe'.
/w/→/u/— Vocalization of /w/ to /u/ is dated to the fifteenth century in Welsh.
consonantal w→u— A shift of consonantal /w/ to /u/ (or /o/) is attested, with the 'w' continuing to be written even after it ceased being pronounced as a consonant.

Related Transformations

More Romance Shifts

Sources & References

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