The Universal Atlas of Phonetic Evolution
Back to Matrix [θ] → [dz] Edit this Data

[dz]→[θ]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 3/5

Voiced alveolar affricate to Voiceless dental fricative

The transformation from the voiced alveolar affricate /dz/ to the voiceless dental fricative /θ/ is a historically attested sound change, notably occurring in the evolution of Old Spanish. This shift involves a series of phonetic processes including deaffrication, devoicing, and a slight dentalization. Old Spanish /ts/ and /dz/ deaffricated in the Late Middle Ages. Menéndez Pidal (1987) noted that by the early sixteenth century, the interdental, fricative pronunciations /θ/ and /ð/ were becoming general, with the two sounds merging into a single voiceless one in the 17th century.

Phonetic Effects

Deaffrication, Devoicing, Dentalization

Language Examples

fazer→hacer— The Old Spanish voiced alveolar affricate /dz/ (spelled 'z') first deaffricated to a voiced dental fricative /ð/, which later devoiced and merged with /θ/ (from Old Spanish /ts/) in Castilian Spanish.

Related Transformations

More Romance Shifts

Sources & References

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