[lʲ]→[∅]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 3/5
Palatalized voiced alveolar lateral approximant to Empty sound / Zero
The palatalized voiced alveolar lateral approximant, often represented as /lʲ/ or as the palatal lateral approximant /ʎ/, is a sound prone to lenition in various languages. This weakening can, in certain contexts, lead to its complete deletion, resulting in an 'empty' or zero sound. This process is a form of extreme consonantal reduction.
Phonetic Effects
Lenition, Elision, Deletion of Lateral Articulation, Loss of Consonantal Segment
Language Examples
/weʎs/→/jø/— The palatal lateral /ʎ/ in Gascon 'uelhs' (from Latin OCULUM 'eye') was completely lost in Modern French 'yeux' /jø/. While the input symbol is /lʲ/, the phonetic proximity and shared historical fate of /lʲ/ and /ʎ/ make this a relevant example of palatal lateral deletion.
Related Transformations
More Romance Shifts
Sources & References
- Lodge, R. A. (2004). A Linguistic History of French. Cambridge University Press.
- Ayres-Bennett, W. (1996). A History of the French Language: Through Texts. Routledge.
- The variable palatal lateral in Occitan and Catalan: linguistic transfer or regular sound change? | Journal of French Language Studies - Cambridge University Press & Assessment. (2019, July 29).
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