The Universal Atlas of Phonetic Evolution
Back to Matrix [ʔ] → [u] Edit this Data

[u]→[ʔ]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 5/5

Close back rounded vowel to Glottal stop

The shift from the high-back rounded vowel [u] to a glottal stop [ʔ] is a form of glottal reinforcement. It typically occurs at word boundaries to provide a 'hard attack' or to separate the vowel from preceding sounds.

Phonetic Effects

Glottalization, Hard Attack

Language Examples

ooze [u]→[ʔuːz]— Glottal reinforcement for initial vowels.
Ufer [u]→[ˈʔuːfɐ]— Consistent glottal stop reinforcement for word-initial vowels.

Related Transformations

More Germanic Shifts

Sources & References

Spotted a mistake or have a better example?

EchoDrift is community-driven. You can suggest a change directly through GitHub.

Propose an Edit on GitHub