[w]→[v]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 5/5
Voiced labio-velar approximant to Voiced labiodental fricative
The shift from the voiced labio-velar approximant [w] to the voiced labiodental fricative [v] is a widespread fortition process in the history of Indo-European languages. It involves the loss of the velar component and the strengthening of the labial constriction from an approximant to a fricative.
Phonetic Effects
Fortition, De-velarization
Language Examples
Proto-Germanic *watar→Wasser [v]— Original [w] fortified to [v] by the Middle High German period.
Veni [w]→venire / venir [v]— Classical Latin [w] became a bilabial fricative [β] and eventually a labiodental fricative [v] in most Romance varieties.
Related Transformations
More Romance Shifts
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