[l]→[i]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 4/5

Alveolar lateral approximant to Close front unrounded vowel

The shift from [l] to [i] is a form of vocalization typically seen in consonant clusters. In the development of Italian, the lateral in post-consonantal clusters was palatalized and eventually vocalized into a high-front vowel.

Phonetic Effects

Vocalization, Palatalization

Language Examples

Italian Romance

clavis (Latin)→chiave [kj]— The CL cluster shifted to a palatal glide/vowel.

florem→fiore— The FL cluster vocalized.

Related Transformations

Reverse Alternative: Back-vowel vocalization

More Romance Shifts

[ã] → [õ] — Raising [a] → [ã] — Assimilatory Nasalization [a] → [∅] — Elision [a] → [ə] — Vowel Reduction [ai] → [e] — Monophthongization

Sources & References

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