Back to Matrix [au] → [w] Edit this Data

[w]→[au]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 4/5

Voiced labio-velar approximant to Diphthong au

The voiced labio-velar approximant /w/ can undergo vocalization, transforming into a diphthong, often one with a back rounded vowel component such as /au/. This shift typically occurs in specific phonetic environments, where the approximant loses its consonantal quality and merges with an adjacent vowel to form a diphthong.

Phonetic Effects

Vocalization, Diphthongization

Language Examples

Middle English Germanic

/hlæːw/→/law/— Old English hlǣw (meaning 'mound' or 'law') shifted to Middle English law, with /w/ vocalizing to form a diphthong after the back vowel.

Related Transformations

Reverse

More Germanic Shifts

[a] → [ã] — Assimilatory Nasalization [a] → [∅] — Elision [a] → [ʔ] — Glottalization [a] → [ə] — Vowel Reduction [ʕ] → [a] — Vocalization

Sources & References

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