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

[kʲ]→[k]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 3/5

Palatalized voiceless velar plosive to Voiceless velar plosive

Depalatalization, or hardening, is the loss of the palatal secondary articulation of a consonant. It typically occurs when a language simplifies its phonemic inventory or in specific phonetic environments, such as before back vowels or word-finally in certain dialects.

Phonetic Effects

Hardening, Loss of Palatalization

Language Examples

Russian (Contextual) Slavic

ruki [kʲ]→ruka [k]— While Russian maintains the soft 'k' before front vowels, the 'hard' 'k' remains the default in other environments. Depalatalization as a diachronic process is less common for velars than for dental/labial consonants.

Related Transformations

palatalization

More Slavic Shifts

[a] → [ə] — Vowel Reduction [dʲ] → [dʒ] — Affrication [d] → [dʑ] — Palatalization [e] → [i] — Vowel Raising [e] → [o] — Backing

Sources & References

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