[t]→[ð]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 4/5
Voiceless alveolar plosive to Voiced dental fricative
The shift from the voiceless alveolar stop [t] to the voiced dental fricative [ð] is a multi-stage lenition process. It typically involves an intermediate voiced stop stage [d], which then spirantizes in intervocalic positions to allow continuous airflow. This shift is a key historical link in Germanic and Romance phonology.
Phonetic Effects
Lenition, Voicing, Spirantization
Language Examples
vita [t]→vida [ð]— Intervocalic lenition where the stop voiced and then spirantized into a fricative/approximant.
catena→cadena [ð]
mad [t] (Old Norse)→mad [ð]— Historical shift of final stops to 'soft' voiced fricatives.
fæder [d] (from PIE *t)→father [ð]— A later English shift where voiced stops shifted to fricatives before historical r-suffixes.
Related Transformations
More Romance Shifts
Sources & References
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