[y]→[w]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 4/5

Athabaskan Niger-Congo Consonantalization Vowel to Glide Historical Linguistics Sound Change

Close front rounded vowel to Voiced labio-velar approximant

The phonetic transformation from the close front rounded vowel /y/ to the voiced labio-velar approximant /w/ involves a process of consonantalization, where a vowel takes on a consonantal, glide-like quality. This shift typically includes a backing of the vowel's articulation and a change in manner from a syllabic vowel to a non-syllabic approximant, while often retaining the rounding feature.

Phonetic Effects

Consonantalization, Backing, Vowel to Glide, Approximantization

Language Examples

Sarcee Athabaskan

y→w— Shift occurs before the vowel /u/ and also before /a/.

South Guang Niger-Congo

*y→w— Proto-Guang *y became w before round vowels.

Related Transformations

Reverse

More Historical Linguistics Shifts

[ɡʲ] → [dz] — Fronting [ie] → [i] — Monophthongization [j] → [ʑ] — Fortition [l] → [ou] — Vocalization [o] → [ə] — Vowel Reduction

Sources & References

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