[l]→[ʈ]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 3/5
Alveolar lateral approximant to Voiceless retroflex stop
The shift from the lateral [l] to a retroflex stop (like [ɖ] or [ʈ]) is a form of fortition and assimilation. It typically occurs when a lateral is influenced by an adjacent rhotic or through the simplification of liquid-dental clusters in languages with retroflex phonology.
Phonetic Effects
Retroflexion, Assimilation, Cluster Reduction
Language Examples
ḷ [ɭ] (retroflex lateral)→[ɖ] (in some positions)— Tamil/Malayalam contrast the retroflex lateral ḷ (ள) with dental l (ல). In some Tamil dialects and positions, the retroflex lateral ḷ merges with or approximates [ɖ]. Distinct Dravidian feature not found in IE.
Karl [rl]→[kʰɑːɭ] / [kʰɑːɖ]— Retroflex assimilation: the sequence of /r/ and /l/ merges into a single retroflex sound.
pult- (PIE)→puʈa- [ʈ]— Historical reduction of liquid-stop clusters into a single retroflex stop.
Related Transformations
More Germanic Shifts
Sources & References
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