[ʈ]→[l]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 3/5
Voiceless retroflex stop to Alveolar lateral approximant
The shift from a retroflex stop [ʈ] (or its voiced counterpart [ɖ]) to a lateral sound is a documented form of lenition. In languages with established retroflex series, intervocalic stops often weaken by allowing airflow around the sides of the tongue, resulting in a retroflex or alveolar lateral.
Phonetic Effects
Lateralization, Lenition, Flapping
Language Examples
īḍe [ɖ]→iḷe [ɭ]— Intervocalic voiced retroflex stops in the Rigveda regularly shifted to retroflex lateral flaps.
[ʈ] (medial)→[ɭ] / [l]— Lenition of stops to liquids is a common feature in non-initial positions in many Australian languages.
Related Transformations
More Romance Shifts
Sources & References
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