[ʎ]→[ɟ]Certainty: 3/5Commonality: 3/5
Voiced palatal lateral approximant to Voiced palatal plosive
The transformation from a voiced palatal lateral approximant (/ʎ/) to a voiced palatal plosive (/ɟ/) is a phonetic process known as fortition. This shift involves an increase in the degree of stricture, changing an approximant, which has a relatively open articulation, into a plosive, which requires a complete closure of the vocal tract followed by a release.
Phonetic Effects
Fortition, Increase in Stricture, Approximant to Plosive Shift
Language Examples
ʎ→ɟ— The historical voiced palatal lateral approximant /ʎ/, traditionally represented by the digraph 'll' in Spanish, has undergone fortition to a voiced palatal plosive /ɟ/ in certain varieties of Latin American Spanish. This is part of a broader phonological drift known as yeísmo or zheísmo, which can also lead to affricated or fricated pronunciations.
More Romance Shifts
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