[∅]→[ɛ]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 4/5
Empty sound / Zero to Open-mid front unrounded vowel
Epenthesis of [ɛ] (epsilon) occurs as anaptyxis to break up consonant clusters, common in Hebrew and various Arabic dialects.
Phonetic Effects
Anaptyxis, Epenthesis
Language Examples
*/malk/ (king)→melek [mɛ.lɛχ]— Segolate noun: epenthetic [ɛ] inserted in final CVC cluster; the pattern generalizes across the segolate class (*/dabb/ → deḇer, */sippr/ → sēper).
vCC cluster→vCɛC— Epenthetic [ɛ] used to break tri-consonantal clusters in Maghrebi Arabic; specific lexical examples not given in source — flagged.
Related Transformations
More Semitic Shifts
Sources & References
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