[e]→[y]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 3/5

Close-mid front unrounded vowel to Close front rounded vowel

The shift from [e] to [y] involves vowel rounding, where a mid-front unrounded vowel gains lip rounding. This often occurs as part of a complex chain shift or via intermediate diphthongs, notably seen in the history of Greek.

Phonetic Effects

Rounding, Raising, Iotacism

Language Examples

Ancient Greek (Iotacism) Hellenic

η ēta [eː] (Classical Greek long mid front)→[yː] (Hellenistic stage)— In the iotacism process, Classical Greek long [eː] (eta) passed through a rounded stage [yː] before merging with [iː] in Modern Greek. Cf. also οι [oi] → [øː] → [yː] → [i].

Related Transformations

Next in chain: Iotacism (y -> i)Inverse: Unrounding

More Rounding Shifts

[ã] → [õ] — Raising [æ] → [ɛ] — Vowel Raising [e] → [i] — Vowel Raising [e] → [o] — Backing [ei] → [e] — Monophthongization

Sources & References

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