[ŋ]→[ʃ]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 1/5

Palatalization Fricativization Sino-Tibetan

Velar nasal to Voiceless postalveolar fricative

The shift from the velar nasal [ŋ] to the voiceless postalveolar fricative [ʃ] (sh) is a multi-stage process typically driven by palatalization. It involves the fronting of the nasal to a palatal position [ɲ] followed by de-nasalization and fricativization, usually triggered by following high front vowels.

Phonetic Effects

Palatalization, Fricativization

Language Examples

Sino-Tibetan Dialects Sino-Tibetan

historical *ŋ-→[ʃ] / [ɕ]— Historical fronting and fricativization of velar initials before high front vowels in various Chinese dialectal developments.

Related Transformations

Reverse Intermediate step

More Palatalization Shifts

[b] → [bʲ] — Palatalization [b] → [p] — Voice Loss [tɕ] → [ɕ] — Lenition [dʲ] → [dʒ] — Affrication [d] → [dʲ] — Palatalization

Sources & References

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