[u]→[ʃ]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 4/5
Close back rounded vowel to Voiceless postalveolar fricative
The shift from the high back rounded vowel [u] (often in the context of a [ju] diphthong) to the voiceless postalveolar fricative [ʃ] (represented here as 'sh') is a prominent form of palatalization and coalescent assimilation, particularly in English.
Phonetic Effects
Palatalization, Coalescent Assimilation, Assibilation
Language Examples
sugar [ˈsjuːɡər]→[ˈʃʊɡər]— Historical palatalization where the tongue moved back toward the palate for the [j] glide, eventually merging the [s] and glide into [ʃ].
pressure [ˈprɛsjər]→[ˈprɛʃər]— Assimilation of the alveolar fricative and the following palatal segment into a postalveolar fricative.
[u]→[ʃ]— Historical and synchronic palatalization processes where high vowels trigger shifts in the place of articulation toward the palate.
Related Transformations
More Assimilation Shifts
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