[l]→[ou]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 5/5
Alveolar lateral approximant to Diphthong ou
L-vocalization is a widespread phonetic transformation where the alveolar lateral approximant /l/, particularly its velarized allophone [ɫ], is replaced by a vowel or a semivowel. This process frequently leads to the formation of diphthongs, especially when the vocalized /l/ becomes a back rounded vocoid (such as [u] or [w]) and subsequently merges with a preceding vowel to create an /ou/-like diphthong.
Phonetic Effects
Vocalization, Diphthongization, Backing, Rounding, Lenition
Language Examples
/al/→/ɑul/— As seen in words like 'all', 'ball', 'call'.
/ɔl/→/ɔul/— As seen in words like 'control', 'roll', 'folk'.
altu→àutə— From Vulgar Latin 'altu'.
calza→cauzétta— The /l/ vocalizes to a /u/ or /w/ forming an /au/ diphthong.
Related Transformations
More Romance Shifts
Sources & References
- Recasens, D. (1996). An Articulatory-Perceptual Account of Vocalisation and Elision of Dark /l/ in the Romance Languages. Language and Speech, 39(1), 63-89.
- L Vocalisation as a Natural Phenomenon - Essex Research Repository.
- A phonetic interpretation of the sound changes affecting dark /l/ in Romance - ResearchGate.
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