[ʃ]→[f]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 2/5

Voiceless postalveolar fricative to Voiceless labiodental fricative

The shift from the postalveolar fricative [ʃ] to the labiodental fricative [f] is a form of labialization. It occurs primarily as a developmental process in child language acquisition, where the complex tongue-grooving required for [ʃ] is replaced by the simpler lip-to-teeth gesture of [f].

Phonetic Effects

Labialization, Fronting, Child Language Substitution

Language Examples

Child Phonology Universal

shop [ʃ]→[fɒp]— Developmental substitution: replacing a complex sibilant with a simpler labiodental fricative.

brush→[bɹʌf]

Related Transformations

Reverse

More Labialization Shifts

[θ] → [f] — Labialization [dʱ] → [b] — Deaspiration [d] → [b] — Place Assimilation [g] → [b] — Labialization [h] → [ɸ] — Labialization

Sources & References

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