[u]→[o]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 3/5
Close back rounded vowel to Close-mid back rounded vowel
The close back rounded vowel /u/ lowers to the close-mid back rounded vowel [o], a common vowel shift attested across many language families. This lowering occurs through general vowel-system shifts (as in Turkic historical phonology) and also through emphasis spreading in Arabic dialects, where high back vowels lower in proximity to emphatic consonants.
Phonetic Effects
Lowering, Emphasis Spreading
Language Examples
Proto-Turkic *u→[o]— Historical lowering of inherited Proto-Turkic /u/ to /o/ in modern Bashkir. Distinguishes Bashkir from other Turkic languages that maintain /u/. Example: PT *turk → Bashkir torc (strong, mighty).
Proto-Turkic *u→[o]— Similar to Bashkir, Tatar underwent historical /u/ → /o/ lowering. This marks a key phonological distinction between Kazan Tatar and other Turkic varieties. Example: PT *kumush (silver) → Tatar qomosh.
/u/ near emphatic consonant→[o] or [ɔ]— High back vowel lowers to mid-back position due to emphasis spreading from adjacent emphatic consonants (tˤ, dˤ, sˤ, zˤ, qˤ)
حوض (huḍ) 'pool'→[ħoðˤ]— Emphasis spreading from emphatic ḍ causes lowering of preceding /u/ in Moroccan varieties
French [u]→English [oʊ] ~ [ʊ]— English typically lowers and diphthongizes French /u/ in loanwords. E.g., French 'tour' [tu:ʁ] → English 'tour' [tʊr] or [tor].
Related Transformations
More Germanic Shifts
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