[r]→[n]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 3/5
Alveolar trill to Alveolar nasal
The phonetic transformation from an alveolar trill ([r]) to an alveolar nasal ([n]) involves a change in the manner of articulation, where the oral trill becomes a nasal consonant, while the place of articulation (alveolar) is maintained. This shift is typically triggered by processes of nasalization, often in the presence of nasal vowels or other nasal sounds in the phonetic environment.
Phonetic Effects
Nasalization, Change in Manner of Articulation
Language Examples
/r/→[n]— Occurs when /r/ immediately follows a nasal vowel. For instance, the definite marker /ra/ on the verb '-nį-' (have) appears as [nã].
iθari·p→icani·pic— Shift of /r/ to /n/ with diminutive suffixes, as seen in 'fir tree' (iθari·p) becoming 'small fir' (icani·pic).
/r/→/n/— Transformation of /r/ to /n/ due to nasalization resulting from a glottal stop.
*-r→-n— Reconstructions suggest an early change of word-final *-r to -n, evidenced by transcriptions of characters like 山 (*s-ŋrar) as -n in names like 貴山 'Kushan' (59 BCE).
Related Transformations
More Nasalization Shifts
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