[y]→[b]Certainty: 4/5Commonality: 2/5
Close front rounded vowel to Voiced bilabial plosive
The transformation of the high front rounded vowel [y] (or the labialized glide [w]) into the voiced bilabial stop [b] is a form of consonantalization and fortition, documented in specific language families where vowels harden into labial consonants.
Phonetic Effects
Consonantalization, Fortition, Labialization
Language Examples
Historical [y/uo]→[b]— Regular shift where historical rounded vowels or labialized glides fortified into bilabial stops (e.g., Bats 'eb lar' corresponding to Chechen 'uollan').
Historical [w] (vocalic reflex [y/u])→[b]— Correspondences between labial glides and bilabial stops in Germanic dialects (e.g., English 'seven' vs. German 'sieben').
Related Transformations
More Germanic Shifts
Sources & References
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