[n]→[ʈ]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 4/5
Alveolar nasal to Voiceless retroflex stop
The shift from an alveolar nasal [n] to a retroflex nasal [ɳ] (or indirectly to a retroflex stop [ʈ]) is known as retroflexion. It is a form of progressive assimilation where the tongue tip is pulled back, usually triggered by a preceding rhotic [r] or retroflex sibilant [ʂ].
Phonetic Effects
Retroflexion, Assimilation, Sandhi
Language Examples
dental n [n̪]→retroflex ṇ [ɳ]— Dravidian languages contrast dental /n/ (ந) with retroflex /ṇ/ (ண) as phonemically distinct. Tamil 'eṇ' (eight) vs 'en' (my) — a lexical distinction absent in most non-Dravidian languages.
brahman- [n]→brahmāṇ- [ɳ]— Nati: The dental nasal regularly retroflexes when preceded by r or ʂ (even at a distance).
ayana→ayaṇa
barn [rn]→[bɑːɳ]— In Central and Northern dialects, the /r/ + /n/ cluster merges into a single retroflex nasal.
horn→[huːɳ]
Related Transformations
More Assimilation Shifts
Sources & References
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