[l]→[a]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 3/5

Alveolar lateral approximant to Open front unrounded vowel

The shift from the lateral approximant [l] to the open central/back vowel [a] is an extreme form of L-vocalization. It occurs in syllable-final positions where the 'dark L' [ɫ] loses its consonantal closure and articulatory force, merging into a low vocalic quality.

Phonetic Effects

L-vocalization, Lowering, Lenition

Language Examples

Australian / New Zealand English Germanic

tall [tɔːɫ]→[toːa] / [toːʊ]— Broad accents often vocalize final liquids into an open back or central vowel.

feel→[fɪi̯a]

Related Transformations

Reverse

More Germanic Shifts

[a] → [ã] — Assimilatory Nasalization [a] → [∅] — Elision [a] → [ʔ] — Glottalization [a] → [ə] — Vowel Reduction [ʕ] → [a] — Vocalization

Sources & References

Spotted a mistake or have a better example?

EchoDrift is community-driven. You can suggest a change directly through GitHub.

Propose an Edit on GitHub