[p]→[s]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 4/5
Voiceless bilabial plosive to Voiceless alveolar fricative
The shift from the bilabial stop [p] to the alveolar fricative [s] is a common form of regressive cluster assimilation. It typically occurs in the sequence [ps], where the labial stop adopts the place and manner of the following sibilant, resulting in a geminate [ss] which later simplifies to a single [s].
Phonetic Effects
Assimilation, Gemination, Cluster Simplification
Language Examples
ipse [ps]→esso [ss/s] (Italian/Spanish)— Regressive assimilation of the labial stop to the sibilant.
scripsit→scrisse (Italian)
*wobʰsa [bs] (PIE)→osa [s]— The original labial in the word for 'wasp' assimilated and was lost in the Slavic branch.
Related Transformations
More Romance Shifts
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