[s]→[x]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 4/5
Voiceless alveolar fricative to Voiceless velar fricative
The shift from the alveolar sibilant [s] to the velar fricative [x] is a process of retraction. It can occur as a conditioned sound law (triggered by specific neighboring sounds) or as part of a systemic readjustment to increase the phonetic distance between different types of sibilants.
Phonetic Effects
Retraction, Backing, RUKI Rule
Language Examples
*mous- [s] (PIE)→muxa [x] (Russian)— RUKI Rule: Alveolar s after r, u, k, i retracted to a velar fricative.
*wers-→verx [x]
dixo [ʃ] (Old Spanish)→dijo [x]— Systemic retraction of postalveolar sibilants to the velar position to maintain phonemic contrast.
Related Transformations
More Romance Shifts
Sources & References
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