[v]→[ʔ]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 2/5

Voiced labiodental fricative to Glottal stop

The shift from the voiced labiodental fricative [v] to the glottal stop [ʔ] is a form of debuccalization and final lenition, primarily observed in word-final positions or as a result of complete oral constriction loss in specific language families.

Phonetic Effects

Debuccalization, Lenition, Final Devoicing, Hardening

Language Examples

K'iche' (Mayan) Mayan

Final [v/b]→[ʔ]— Regular shift where word-final bilabial or labiodental sounds debuccalize to a glottal stop.

English (Dialectal Coda) Germanic

[v]→[ʔ]— Occasional glottal reinforcement or replacement of final fricatives in rapid speech or specific regional varieties.

Related Transformations

Reverse Glottal fricativization Complete loss

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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