The Universal Atlas of Phonetic Evolution
Back to Matrix [w] → [ð] Edit this Data

[ð]→[w]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 3/5

Voiced dental fricative to Voiced labio-velar approximant

The voiced dental fricative /ð/ can undergo a process of lenition and vocalization, particularly in coda positions, leading to its transformation into the voiced labio-velar approximant /w/. This shift involves a weakening of the consonant and a change in its place of articulation.

Phonetic Effects

Lenition, Vocalization, A Shift in Place of Articulation From Dental to Labio-velar, Specifically Occurring in Coda Positions

Language Examples

ð→w— In Catalan, Latin intervocalic /d/ lenited to /ð/ in early Romance. This /ð/ subsequently lenited further to /w/ when it occurred in coda position, often due to syncope of a following vowel. An example is Latin 'CREDERE' becoming Catalan 'creure' ('to believe').

Related Transformations

More Romance Shifts

Sources & References

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