[ŋ]→[õ]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 5/5
Velar nasal to Nasalized close-mid back rounded vowel
The velar nasal consonant [ŋ] can undergo a phonetic transformation into a nasalized close-mid back rounded vowel [õ] through a process of vocalization and nasalization transfer. This shift typically involves the loss of the consonantal articulation, with the nasality spreading to or being retained by an adjacent vowel, often in syllable-final positions or within consonant clusters. This type of change is well-attested for nasal consonants, and velar nasals are particularly prone to such vocalization due to their phonetic similarity to nasalized vowels.
Phonetic Effects
Vocalization, Nasalization, Consonant Loss, Vowelization of a Nasal Consonant, Place Assimilation
Language Examples
ŋ→õ— In a dialect of Mon, the loss of oral closure for a velar nasal in a sequence like /ʰ̰ŋoa/ led to the transfer of distinctive nasalization onto the following vowel, resulting in /h̰õa/. The velar nasal [ŋ] vocalized, and its nasality was transferred to the adjacent vowel, forming a nasalized vowel [õ] (as part of [õa]).
Related Transformations
More Nasalization Shifts
Sources & References
- Michaud, A., Jacques, G., & Rankin, R. L. (2012). Historical transfer of nasality between consonantal onset and vowel: From C to V or from V to C?. Diachronica, 29(2), 203-233.
- Shorto, H. L. (1962). A Dictionary of Modern Spoken Mon. Oxford University Press.
- Ohala, J. J. (1975). Phonetic explanations for nasal sound changes. In Nasalforschung und Palatalisierung.
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