[∅]→[x]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 2/5
Empty sound / Zero to Voiceless velar fricative
Prothesis of the voiceless velar fricative [x] occurs in various Spanish dialects and in the historical development of certain languages as a reinforcement of initial glides or vowels.
Phonetic Effects
Prothesis, Epenthesis
Language Examples
webo [w-] (huevo, egg)→[xwebo]— Velar [x] inserted before initial /w/ in Andean/Southern Spanish dialects. Cf. Canfield's documentation of this in Latin American dialects.
welo [w-] (huelo, I smell)→[xwelo]— Same prothetic pattern before /w/ from Latin 'olfacio'.
Related Transformations
More Romance Shifts
Sources & References
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