spirantization
Consonant friction shift
Spirantization is a sound change in which a stop consonant—one produced by completely blocking airflow—becomes a fricative, where air passes through a narrow gap with audible friction.
The shift from Latin *p* to Spanish *h* in words like *padre* to *hijo* illustrates the process.
Linguists use the term when describing how languages evolve over time.
Becoming less strong
- consonantIn agreement with
- allophoneNon-distinctive sound variation
- voicingExpressing aloud
- assimilationAbsorbing into a whole
phoneme · manner · articulation · stop · plosive · affricate · debuccalization · gradation
Resistance between touching surfaces
- airflowMovement of atmosphere
- constrictionTightening or narrowing action
- tongueOral muscle for taste
- turbulenceChaotic flow patterns
oral cavity · velum · alveolar · dental · labial · palatal · velar · glottal
Of Teutonic language stock
- Grimm's LawGermanic consonant shift principle
- CelticOf Irish-Welsh descent
- mutationPermanent DNA alteration
- diachronicConcerning change over time
Latin · Spanish · Old English · evolution · comparative · reconstruction · correspondence · development
weakening
Becoming less strong
assimilation · phoneme · manner · articulation · stop · plosive · affricate · debuccalization · gradation · alternation
friction
Resistance between touching surfaces
- airflowMovement of atmosphere
- constrictionTightening or narrowing action
- tongueOral muscle for taste
turbulence · oral cavity · velum · alveolar · dental · labial · palatal · velar · glottal · narrowing
Germanic
Of Teutonic language stock
- Grimm's LawGermanic consonant shift principle
- CelticOf Irish-Welsh descent
- mutationPermanent DNA alteration
diachronic · Latin · Spanish · Old English · evolution · comparative · reconstruction · correspondence · development · Welsh
- Begadkefatbet
- consonant mutations
- lenitionweakening, debuccalization, flapping, tapping
- Sound ChangeGreat Vowel Shift, ablaut, umlaut, nasalization, denasalization
- sound changesassimilation, elision, deletion, voicing, nasalization
- phoneticsphonemes, phoneme, vocal folds, consonants, vowels
spirit, inspire, expire, aspire, aspiration, conspire, transpire, phonetics, respiration