The Universal Atlas of Phonetic Evolution
Back to Matrix [j] → [ɛ] Edit this Data

[ɛ]→[j]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 3/5

Open-mid front unrounded vowel to Voiced palatal approximant

The open-mid front unrounded vowel /ɛ/ can undergo a transformation into the voiced palatal approximant /j/, particularly in specific morphophonological contexts. This shift involves the vowel losing its vocalic quality and becoming a glide, often as part of a grammatical inflection. While sometimes described as phonologically unmotivated in a universal sense, it represents a regular conversion within the specific grammatical system where it occurs.

Phonetic Effects

Vowel to Glide Conversion, Consonantization, Reduction of Vocalic Prominence, Palatalization

Language Examples

/ɛ/→/j/— In French verbal inflection, the underlying /ɛ/ of certain suffixes (specifically the 1st and 2nd plural Imperfect Indicative, Present Conditional, and Present Subjunctive) is converted to /j/.

Related Transformations

More Romance Shifts

Sources & References

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