Lenization
Lenition or lenition (sometimes also lenition ) (to lat. Lenis "mild, gentle") is a term of Linguistics . Among the changes is usually a Fortis -Konsonanten in the corresponding Lenis - consonants understood. This can mean the change from unvoiced to voiced, but also the loss of aspiration and the like. a., details see under Fortis.
Lenization often takes place in a voiced environment, that is
- either between vowels
- or between vowels and voiced consonants.
So it is a matter of an assimilation process . Examples are the change in sound from Middle High German këller, tanne, hemmen, spoken with long intervowel consonants as [ˈkɛlːər] , [ˈtanːə] , [ˈhemːən] , to New High German Keller, Tanne, hemmen , which are still written with double consonants, but with short spoken are: [ˈkɛlɐ] , [ˈtanə] , [ˈhɛmən] .
In parts of the southern German and Saxon-speaking regions as well as in eastern Austria, the initial sound is lenited , for example Swabian Daag "Tag", Boschd "Post", Greiz "Kreuz", see Fortis . They are pronounced unaspirated and voiceless (like French / Spanish / Polish etc. t, p and k).
A particularly frequent phenomenon is lenization in the development of the Western Romanic languages ( map ) and still today in the Celtic languages .
- lat. ro t a "wheel" becomes Spanish rue d a (with further development to French rue )
- lat. ca p ra "goat" becomes Spanish ca b ra (with further development to French chè v re )
- Welsh c ath "cat", but y g ath "the cat"
- Scottish Gaelic m uc "(a) pig", but a ' mh uc "the pig"
