[θ]→[ɾ]Certainty: 3/5Commonality: 2/5

Voiceless dental fricative to Voiced alveolar flap

The transformation from a voiceless dental fricative to an alveolar flap is a form of rhotacism or allophonic competition, often passing through a stop stage [t] as observed in certain English dialects.

Phonetic Effects

Rhotacism, Lenition, Stopping

Language Examples

English Germanic

θ [three]→ɾ [three]— In many dialects, /r/ after a dental fricative is realized as a flap. Furthermore, in dialects with Th-stopping (θ > t), the resulting [t] can then flap (t > ɾ) in appropriate environments.

Irish English Germanic

θ→ɾ— Dentalized environments often show a close relationship between the dental fricative and the following rhotic realization.

Related Transformations

Reverse Stopping Flapping

More Germanic Shifts

[a] → [ã] — Assimilatory Nasalization [a] → [∅] — Elision [a] → [ʔ] — Glottalization [a] → [ə] — Vowel Reduction [æ] → [ɛ] — Vowel Raising

Sources & References

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