[q]→[χ]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 2/5

Spirantization Lenition Fricativization Quechuan

Voiceless uvular plosive to Voiceless uvular fricative

The spirantization of the voiceless uvular plosive /q/ to the voiceless uvular fricative /χ/ is documented in several Quechua dialects of South America, where the Proto-Quechua uvular stop has undergone lenition. The process preserves the uvular place of articulation while weakening the manner from a complete closure to a fricative constriction.

Phonetic Effects

Spirantization, Lenition, Fricativization

Language Examples

South Bolivian Quechua Quechuan

qan→[χan]— Second-person singular pronoun; /q/ is realized as voiceless uvular fricative [χ] especially in positions following voiceless sibilants, reflecting ongoing spirantization of the uvular stop.

quwi→[χuwi]— Guinea pig; another instance of the q→[χ] spirantization in intervocalic contexts.

Junín Quechua Quechuan

*q→[χ]— In Junín Quechua (Quechua I branch, Peru), Proto-Quechua *q has undergone a completed spirantization to a voiceless fricative, realized as [χ] or [x] depending on phonological environment.

Related Transformations

Reverse Voiced variant Full debuccalization

More Lenition Shifts

[a] → [∅] — Elision [b] → [v] — Spirantization [tɕ] → [ʃ] — De-affrication [tɕ] → [ɕ] — Lenition [d] → [∅] — Elision

Sources & References

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