Back to Matrix [tsʰ] → [k] Edit this Data

[k]→[tsʰ]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 5/5

Palatalization Assibilation Fronting Affrication Indo-European Italic Germanic

Voiceless velar plosive to Voiceless aspirated alveolar affricate

The transformation of a voiceless velar plosive /k/ into a voiceless aspirated alveolar affricate /tsʰ/ is a well-attested sound change in historical linguistics, primarily occurring through processes of palatalization and assibilation. This shift typically happens when the velar stop is followed by a front vowel or a palatal glide, which causes the point of articulation to move forward in the mouth, leading to an affricate articulation and often accompanied by aspiration.

Phonetic Effects

Fronting, Affrication, Palatalization, Assibilation, Aspiration

Language Examples

Umbrian Italic

k→tsʰ— Assibilation of /k/ to an alveolar affricate (represented by 'Ç') before front vowels. For example, Latin 'faciat' corresponds to Umbrian 'façiat'.

Old Frisian Germanic

*k→tsʰ— Proto-Germanic *k underwent palatalization and subsequent assibilation to /ts/ (often aspirated) before front vowels in Old Frisian. This involved an intermediate stage of a palatalized velar and then a palatal affricate before dentalization to an alveolar affricate.

Related Transformations

Reverse Palatalization to palato-alveolar affricate Further assibilation to fricative

More Germanic Shifts

[a] → [ã] — Assimilatory Nasalization [a] → [∅] — Elision [a] → [ʔ] — Glottalization [a] → [ə] — Vowel Reduction [æ] → [ɛ] — Vowel Raising

Sources & References

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