Phonetic change refers to changes in the sounds of a language over time. These changes can happen for various reasons and can affect individual sounds or entire sound systems. Here are some ways in which phonetic changes occur:
1. Assimilation:
This is when one sound becomes more like a neighboring sound. It can happen in terms of place of articulation (where in the mouth a sound is made), manner of articulation (how the airflow is manipulated), or voicing (whether the vocal cords vibrate). For example, in English, the word “input” is often pronounced more like “imput” in casual speech because the “n” sound becomes more like the following “p” sound.
2. Dissimilation:
This occurs when two adjacent sounds become less similar to each other. An example is the Latin word “humerum” (shoulder), which became “hombro” in Spanish. The “m” and “r” sounds are more distinct, leading to the dissimilation of the “m.”
3. Elision:
Elision happens when a sound is omitted. This is often seen in fast speech. For instance, the word “camera” is commonly pronounced as “camra” with the “e” sound dropped in informal speech.
4. Insertion (Epenthesis):
This is the opposite of elision and occurs when a new sound is added. For example, in some dialects of English, the word “athlete” might be pronounced “ath-e-lete,” adding an extra vowel sound.
5. Metathesis:
Metathesis happens when two sounds are swapped in order. A famous example in English is the word “ask,” which was historically pronounced “aks.”
6. Vowel Reduction:
Unstressed vowels often become weaker or more centralized over time. In English, for example, unstressed vowels like the “a” in “sofa” or the “e” in “banana” tend to be pronounced as a schwa (ə) sound.
7. Great Vowel Shift:
A historical example of phonetic change is the Great Vowel Shift in English, which occurred between the 14th and 18th centuries. During this period, long vowels shifted in their pronunciation. For example, Middle English “bite” (pronounced with a long [i]) became the Modern English “bite” (pronounced with a diphthong).
8. Coarticulation:
This refers to how sounds influence each other when spoken in sequence. Over time, these influences may lead to phonetic change. For instance, a consonant sound might become nasalized because of the neighboring nasal consonant, as seen in the pronunciation of “can’t” in some dialects, where it sounds more like “ca[n]t.”
9. Phonetic Economy:
Languages often evolve towards simpler or more efficient sound patterns. This can involve the merging of phonemes (distinct sounds) or the reduction of articulatory effort.
10. Environmental Factors:
Social factors, such as regional differences, social class, or age, can influence the way sounds evolve. This is why different accents or dialects develop over time.