[ɛ]→[ʔ]Certainty: 2/5Commonality: 3/5
Open-mid front unrounded vowel to Glottal stop
Glottal reinforcement of [ɛ] at word onset involves adding [ʔ] before the vowel rather than replacing it. True ɛ→ʔ replacement (where the vowel is lost and only [ʔ] remains) is rare; most examples show hard attack (∅→ʔ + ɛ). In some languages with laryngealized vowels, an [ɛ] can be accompanied by creaky voice transitioning to a full glottal closure.
Phonetic Effects
Glottalization, Hard Attack, Debuccalization
Language Examples
any [ɛ-]→[ʔɛni]— Glottal onset: [ʔ] added BEFORE [ɛ], not replacing it. Strictly ∅→ʔ, not ɛ→ʔ; listed here as glottal reinforcement of vowel-initial words.
Related Transformations
More Germanic Shifts
Spotted a mistake or have a better example?
EchoDrift is community-driven. You can suggest a change directly through GitHub.
Propose an Edit on GitHub