[w]→[b]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 2/5
Voiced labio-velar approximant to Voiced bilabial plosive
The shift from the voiced labio-velar approximant [w] to the voiced bilabial stop [b] is a form of fortition (strengthening). This process involves moving from a sonorous glide to a full oral occlusion, typically driven by a preference for stronger consonant onsets in specific word positions.
Phonetic Effects
Fortition, De-velarization
Language Examples
Germanic *wardōn→Old Spanish 'bardar' / dialectal [b]— Germanic [w] in loanwords often fortified to [ɡw] or [b] in various Romance varieties.
historical *w→[b]— Fortition of initial glides into voiced stops to strengthen syllable onsets.
Related Transformations
More Romance Shifts
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