[w]→[h]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 4/5

Debuccalization Lenition Indo-European Uto-Aztecan Mayan Hellenic Nahuan Kʼicheʼan

Voiced labio-velar approximant to Voiceless glottal fricative

The phonetic transformation from the voiced labio-velar approximant /w/ to the voiceless glottal fricative /h/ is a documented sound change, often occurring through processes of debuccalization or lenition. This shift involves the loss of the labial and velar articulation, resulting in a glottal fricative, frequently accompanied by devoicing.

Phonetic Effects

Debuccalization, Lenition, Devoicing, Aspiration, Loss of Labial

Language Examples

Attic Greek Hellenic

*wesperos→ἕσπερος— Proto-Indo-European *w to h before -sC clusters.

*wVr. C→ἑορτή— Shift in specific environments (the 'ἑορτή rule') involving devoicing and aspiration.

Pipil Nahuan

kuwa→-kuh-ki— Syllable-final /w/ becomes /h/ in Cuisnahuat dialect, as seen in the past participle of 'to buy'.

puwa→-puh-ki— Syllable-final /w/ becomes /h/ in Cuisnahuat dialect, as seen in the past participle of 'to count'.

Quiché Kʼicheʼan

/w/→/h/— A phonological rule changes /w/ to /h/ when it occurs word-finally after a rounded vowel.

Nahuatl Nahuan

final /w/→final /h/— Word-final /w/ frequently changes to /h/ in many dialects.

Related Transformations

Reverse

More Lenition Shifts

[a] → [∅] — Elision [b] → [v] — Spirantization [tɕ] → [ʃ] — De-affrication [tɕ] → [ɕ] — Lenition [d] → [∅] — Elision

Sources & References

Spotted a mistake or have a better example?

EchoDrift is community-driven. You can suggest a change directly through GitHub.

Propose an Edit on GitHub