[k]→[f]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 3/5
Voiceless velar plosive to Voiceless labiodental fricative
The phonetic transformation from a voiceless velar plosive ([k]) to a voiceless labiodental fricative ([f]) represents a significant sound change involving both a shift in the place of articulation from velar to labiodental and a change in the manner of articulation from a stop to a fricative. This type of lenition, specifically spirantization, is attested in the historical development of certain Japonic languages, particularly within the Southern Ryukyuan branch.
Phonetic Effects
Lenition, Spirantization, Place Assimilation
Language Examples
Related Transformations
More Lenition Shifts
Sources & References
- Lau, T. (2015). Reevaluating the Diphthong Mergers in Japono-Ryukyuan. *Proceedings of the Forty-First Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society*, 7-8.
- Bentley, J. R. (2008). *A Linguistic History of the Forgotten Islands: A Reconstruction of the Proto-Language of the Southern Ryūkyūs*. Brill.
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