[∅]→[o]Certainty: 3/5Commonality: 2/5

Empty sound / Zero to Close-mid back rounded vowel

Prothesis of [o] is a characteristic of certain Greek dialects and historical developments, often arising before specific consonant roots.

Phonetic Effects

Prothesis

Language Examples

Ancient Greek Hellenic

*lig- (PIE root)→ὀλίγος olígos (small)— Greek prothetic vowel o- before initial consonant cluster or liquid. The o- prothesis is characteristic of Greek and is one source of words with unexplained initial vowel.

*phel-→ὄφελος ófelos (benefit)— Same prothetic o- development before initial f-cluster in Greek.

Modern Greek (Kouvouklia dialect) Hellenic

ρυάκι ryáki (stream)→ορυάκι oryáki— Dialectal prothesis of [o] before initial r- in Kouvouklia Modern Greek.

Related Transformations

Deletion

More Hellenic Shifts

[ei] → [e] — Monophthongization [∅] → [e] — Prothesis [ɛ] → [e] — Vowel Raising [g] → [j] — Palatalization [j] → [dʑ] — Fortition

Sources & References

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