[ʃ]→[χ]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 3/5
Voiceless postalveolar fricative to Voiceless uvular fricative
The voiceless postalveolar fricative (ʃ) underwent a significant historical sound change in Spanish, backing to become the voiceless uvular fricative (χ). This transformation was a key part of the broader "readjustment of the sibilants" in the language, which aimed to resolve a high functional load on similar-sounding sibilants.
Phonetic Effects
Backing, Uvularization
Language Examples
/oʃo/→/oχo/— This illustrates the shift from Old Spanish /ʃ/ (represented by 'x' in orthography, as in 'oxo') to Modern Spanish /χ/ (represented by 'j', as in 'ojo') during the 16th and 17th centuries.
/meʃiko/→/meχiko/— The 'x' in the name 'México' originally represented the /ʃ/ sound, which later shifted to /χ/ in most Spanish dialects.
Related Transformations
More Backing Shifts
Sources & References
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