[k]→[c]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 5/5
Voiceless velar plosive to Voiceless palatal plosive
The shift from a voiceless velar stop [k] to a voiceless palatal stop [c] is a primary stage of palatalization, typically triggered by following front vowels (i, e) or the palatal glide [j]. This stage is often an intermediate step toward further affrication (to [tʃ] or [ts]), and is prominent in the Slavic First Palatalization and early Romance developments. In Hungarian, [c] (written 'ty') remains a distinct phoneme.
Phonetic Effects
Palatalization, Velar Fronting
Language Examples
/k/→[c]— Hungarian maintains a stable phonemic palatal stop /c/ (written 'ty') that historically developed via palatalization of velars or dentals.
centum [k]→[c]entum— Intermediate palatal stage before the shift to [tʃ] in Italian or [ts] > [s] in French.
*kery→*čery [c]— The First Slavic Palatalization involved an intermediate [c] stage before [tʃ].
Related Transformations
More Romance Shifts
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