Sound change

Process of language change that affects pronunciation or sound system structure Sound change and alternation Metathesis Quantitative metathesis Lenition Consonant gradation Consonant voicing and devoicing Assibilation Spirantization L-vocalization Debuccalization Fortition Epenthesis Prothesis Paragoge Unpacking Vowel breaking Elision Apheresis Syncope Apocope Haplology Cluster reduction Transphonologization Compensatory lengthening Nasalization Tonogenesis Floating tone Assimilation Fusion Coarticulation Palatalization Velarization Labialization Final devoicing Metaphony (vowel harmony, umlaut) Consonant harmony Dissimilation Sandhi Liaison, linking R Consonant mutation Tone sandhi Vowel hiatus Synalepha Elision Crasis Synaeresis and diaeresis Synizesis Other types Apophony Affrication Gemination Clipping Fronting Raising Betacism Iotacism Fusion Merger Compensatory lengthening Monophthongization Rhotacism Rhinoglottophilia Sulcalization Shm-reduplication Consonant mutation Vowel shift Chain shift vte In historical linguistics, a sound change is a change in the pronunciation of a language. A sound change can involve the replacement of one speech sound (or, more generally, one phon