[f]→[j]Certainty: 2/5Commonality: 1/5
Voiceless labiodental fricative to Voiced palatal approximant
The change from voiceless labiodental fricative [f] to palatal glide [j] is among the rarest documented consonant shifts, as it requires simultaneous retraction of place (labiodental → palatal) and weakening of manner (fricative → approximant). The most plausible phonetic pathway is via an intermediate palatal fricative [ç] triggered by a following high front vowel: [f] → [fʲ] → [ç] → [j]. Attestation is marginal; the closest well-documented case is the simplification of English /fj/ clusters in casual speech.
Phonetic Effects
Palatalization, Lenition, Glide Formation
Language Examples
/fj/ in 'few' [fjuː], 'fume' [fjuːm]→[juː], [juːm] (cluster simplification)— In informal and rapid English speech, the initial /fj/ sequence in words like 'few', 'fume', 'fury' can reduce to [j] through cluster simplification. The fricative is absorbed into the following palatal glide. This is a marginal process, not a regular sound change, and is distinct from the full f→j shift documented in no major language family.
Related Transformations
More Germanic Shifts
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