- Causa [kawsa] >Chose [tʃoz]> Chose[ʃoz] “think” The /ka/ cluster undergoes palatalization and becomes the affricate alveolar voiceless /tʃa/ spelled “cha”.
Causa [kawsa]> Chausa [tʃawsa]
The original stressed Classical Latin dipthong “au” /aw/ evolves to high mid “o” /o/.
Chausa [tʃawsa] > Chosa [tʃosa]
Sonorization of /s/ in the unprotected intervocalic position changes fricative alveolar voiceless /s/ > fricative alveolar voiced /z/.
Chosa [tʃosa] > Chosa [tʃoza]
Weakening of the word final vowel “ a”, /a/> high mid front /e/> mid central /ə/> zero. The “a” becomes an “e” and remains in the grapheme.
Chosa [ tʃoza]> Chose [ tʃozə] > Chose [ tʃoz]*
Lenition/ weakening of voiceless affricate alveolar /tʃ/ to fricative, post-alveolar, voiceless /ʃ/.
Chose [tʃoz] > Chose [ʃoz]
- Simulāre [simulāre]> semblable [semblabl] > semblable [sẽblabl] “similar” Vowel evolution causes the Classical Latin stressed vowel / ā/ to become Vulgar Latin low /a/. The unstressed short /i/ becomes high-mid, front /e/ .
Simulāre [simulāre] > Semulare [semulare]
Syncope of unstressed vowel /u/. Because of syncope the /e/ becomes part of a blocked syllable and thus remains /e/ in Modern French.
Semulare [semulare] > semlare [semlare]
The /ml/ cluster is resolved in French by homorganic epenthesis of the voiced plosive bilabial /b/ which has the same place of articulation as the preceding voiced nasal bilabial /m/.
semlare [semlare] > semblare [semblare]
The word ending “are” indicates that this was a Classical Latin verb infinitive. The adjective was probably derived by dropping this ending for the adjective suffix “able” also from Classical Latin.
Semblare [semblare] > Semblable [semblable]*
The nasal in coda position is unprotected undergoes lenition to zero, during this process the vowel assimilates to the manner of articulation of the nasal /m/: Nasalization of vowel plus nasal /em/ results in nasalized /ẽ/; Word final high mid /e/ > mid central /ə/ > zero. The spelling remains the same.
Semblable [semblable] > Semblable [sẽblabl] “semblable”
- Pensāre [pensāre] > Pensera (conjugate)[pensera] > penser [pẽse] “to think” The stressed Classical Latin vowel /ā/ becomes Vulgar Latin low /a/. As part of a Latin blocked syllable the stressed vowel then becomes high mid front /e/. There is also loss of the word final vowel high mid front/e/>/ə/> zero.
Pensāre [Pensāre ] > pensare [pensare] > penser [penser]
Liquid consonant /r/ in coda position is unprotected and eventually undergoes complete lenition, but remains graphemically.
Penser [penser] > penser [pense]*
The nasal consonant in coda position undergoes lenition to zero while the high mid front vowel assimilates the manner of articulation of the nasal consonant: /en/ > /ẽ/. Also note that the original stressed vowel /e/ is now in a free syllable in modern French and thus will remain /e/. Graphemically the word does not change.
Penser [pense] > Penser [pẽse]
- Esse > Essĕre [essĕra] > Estre [estrə] > Être [ɛtʁ] “to be” Classical Latin unstressed / ĕ/ becomes high mid front /e/ in Vulgar Latin after the Great Merger; Degemination of /ss/> /s/.
Essĕre [essera] > Esere [esere]
Syncope of the unstressed vowel /e/.
Esere [esera] > Esre [esra]
Epenthesis of alveolar, stop /t/ to resolve this intervocalic /sr/ cluster brought about by syncope.
Esre [esre] > Estre [estre]
The stressed vowel /e/ becomes low mid front /ɛ/ from a Latin blocked syllable; Loss of word final /e/ > /ə/ > zero.
Estre [estre] > Estre [ɛstr]*
Weakening of pre-consonantal /s/ leads to its deletion and thus a circumflex is added to the preceding /e/. Compromise articulation of /r/ in coda position leads to /ʁ/.
Estre [ɛstr] > Être [ɛtʁ]
- Vidēre [widēre] > veoir [vewar] > voir [vewaʁ] “to see” The Classical Latin stressed vowel, / ē/ , becomes high mid front /e/ in Vulgar Latin which undergoes a series of evolutions: /e/> /ej/>/oj/, spelled “oi”. There is also vowel evolution of short /i/ to high mid, front /e/ which remains /e/ coming from a blocked syllable.
Vidēre [widēre] > vedere [wedeire] > vedoire [wedojre]
Word initial bilabial fricative glide /w/ becomes labiodental fricative /v/. Also Word final vowel /e/ undergoes complete lenition; /e/>/ ə/> zero.
vedoire [wedojre] > vedoir [vedojre]
Lenition of unprotected intervocalic alveolar stop /d/, /d/> /ð/> zero.
Vedoir [vedojr] > veoir [veojre]
Continued vowel evolution of stressed vowel: /oj/ > /oɛ/ > /wɛ/ > /wa/. The spelling will remain the same. Compromised articulation of word final /r/ produces new sound /ʁ/.
Veoir [veojr] > Veoir [vewaʁ ]
Compromise articulation/weakening of old French tripthong to dipthong: /ewa/> /aw/
veoir [vewaʁ ] > voir [vwaʁ ]
- Velle > Volēre [wolēre] > vouldra (conjugated) [vouldra]> Vouloir [vulwaʁ] “to want” The Classical Latin stressed vowel /ē/ becomes Vulgar Latin high-mid front /e/ which coming from a free syllable evolves in a series of steps: /e/ > /ej/ >/oj/ > /oɛ/ > /wɛ/ > /wa/. This sound is represented graphemically by “oi”.
Volēre [wolēre] > Volere [wolere] > Voloire [wolware]
Word initial bilabial fricative glide /w/ becomes labio-dental fricative /v/. Also Word final vowel /e/ undergoes complete lenition; /e/>/ ə/> zero.
Voloire [wolware] > Voloir [volwar]
To resolve the double liquid cluster /lw/ a homorganic epenthesis is made by adding alveolar stop /d/ behind the alveolar liquid /1/. Both consonants have the same place of articulation.
Voloir [volwar] > Voldoir [voldwar]
The unstressed high mid back rounded /o/ evolves as if it came from a long /o/ in Classical Latin. After epenthesis it becomes part of a blocked syllable and evolves to “ou” [u].
voldoir [voldoir] > vouldoir [vuldwar]*
Compromise articulation of word final vowel: /r/>/ʁ/.
Vouldoir [vuldwar]> Vouldoir /vuldwaʁ/
(At this point the infinitive ending can be replaced yielding different endings such as the one seen in the text.)
Unprotected between a vowel and liquid, the alveolar stop/d/ undergoes complete lenition: /d/> /ð/> zero.
Vouldoir [vuldwaʁ] > vouloir [vulwaʁ ]
- Ēligere [Ēligere]> eslire [eslirə] > élire [esliʁ] “to elect” Vowel evolution of the stressed vowel, Classical Latin long /e/, to Vulgar Latin high mid front /e/.
Ēligere [Ēligere] > eligere [eligere]
Lenition of the unprotected intervocalic /g/.
eligere [eligere] > eliere [eliere]
An “s” is added by hyper-correction from the misconception that word initial “e” may have been a prosthetic vowel. The stressed vowel will remain an /e/ because it is now part of a blocked syllable.
Eliere [eliere] > esliere [esliere]
Simplification of diphthong /yod +e/> /i/. Weakening of word final vowel /e/> /ə/> zero; this is followed by compromise articulation of word final /r/> /ʁ/.
Esliere [esliere]> eslire [esliʁ]*
Correction of prosthetic /s/ or lenition of pre-consonantal /s/ and the addition of accent acute on preceding vowel /e/ to mark the lenition.
Eslire [esliʁ] > élire [eliʁ]
- Potēre [potēre] > povoir [povwar]> pouvoir [puvwar]“to be able to” Vowel evolution of the Classical Latin stressed vowel, /ē/, to Vulgar Latin high mid front /e/ and then following a series of evolutions coming from a free syllable: /e/ > /ej/ >/oj/ > /oɛ/ > /wɛ/ > /wa/ spelled “oi.
Potēre [potēre] > potoire [potware]
Lenition of the voiceless alveolar stop /t/ in unprotected intervocalic position to voiced alveolar stop /d/.
Potoire [potware]> Podoire [podware]
Weakening of word final vowel /e/> /ə/> zero; Lenition of unprotected voiced intervocalic alveolar stop /d/ to voiced fricative labiodental /v/.
podoire [podware]> povoir [povwar]*
Unstressed high mid back rounded /o/ evolves as the Classical Latin long /o/ in a blocked syllable: /o/> high back rounded /u/ spelled “ou”. There is compromise articulation word final /r/> /ʁ/
Povoir [povwar]> Pouvoir [puvwaʁ]
- Peccātum [Pekkātum] > peschié [pestʃie] > pêche [pɛʃ] “sin” The Classical Latin stressed vowel long /ā/ becomes Vulgar Latin low /a/. The high mid front /e/ in a blocked syllable becomes low mid, front /ɛ/; Degemination of /kk/>/k/
Peccātum [Pekkātum] > pecatum [pɛkatum]
Palatalization of /ka/> /tʃa/ (alveolar voiceless) spelled “cha”.
Pecatum [pɛkatum] > pechatum [pɛtʃatum]
The word final nasal consonant /m/ undergoes complete lenition as does the high back rounded /u/. After this there is also complete lenition of /t/ in the coda position.
Pechatum [pɛtʃatum] > pechat [pɛtʃat] > pecha [pɛtʃa]
Weakening of the unprotected intervocalic affricate alveolar voiceless /tʃ/ cluster loses its plosive element and becomes fricative post-alveolar voiceless /ʃ/. The addition of “s” was most likely added to reflect this change in pronunciation. Word final /a/ becomes high mid front /e/.
Pecha [pɛtʃa]> Peche [pɛtʃe]*
Complete lenition of word final vowel: /e/.> /ə/> zero. Grapheme “e” remains.
Peche [pɛtʃe] > pesche [pɛʃ]
The “s” removed in favor of “ch” spelling. A circumflex t is added to the vowel “e” that precedes the deleted “s”.
Pesche [pɛʃ] > pêche [pɛʃ]
- Fagĕre [fagere] > faire[fɛrə] (conjugated “faict” [fɛ]) > faire [fɛʁ] “to do” Vowel evolution of the Classical Latin stressed vowel / ĕ/ to Vulgar Latin low mid front /ɛ/ and then to /je/ “ie” coming from a Latin free syllable.
Fagĕre [fagere]> fagiere [fagjere]
The /yod +e/ combination simplifies to /i/.
Fagiere [fagjere]> fagire [fagire]
Unprotected, intervocalic g undergoes complete lenition to zero: /g/> /ɣ/> zero.
Fagire [fagire]> faire [faɣire]> faire [faire]
Compromised articulation of /ai/ hiatus leads to low mid front /ɛ/ in a simplification process similar to that of the Indo-European diphthongs.
Faire[faire] > faire [fɛre]
Weakening of word final vowel /e/>/ə/> zero. Then compromise articulation of word final /r/, /r/>/ʁ/.
Faire [fɛre]> Faire[fɛʁ] *
- Cognoscĕre [kognoscere]> congoistra> connaitre [kɔ.nɛtʁ ] “to know” Metathesis to resolve the /gn/ cluster: /gn/> /ng/. Also, vowel evolution of the unstressed short /e/ to high mid front /e/.
Cognoscĕre [kognoscere] > congoscere [kongoskere]
Regular evolution of the /sk/ cluster to /s/; syncope of unstressed vowel /e/ in penultimate syllable.
Congoscere [kongoskere] > Congosre [kongosre]
Epenthesis of dental stop /t/ to resolve /sr/ cluster.
Congosre [kongosre] > Congostre [kongostre]
Nasalization of vowel /o/ > / õ/ as it assimilates the manner of articulation of the nasal consonant; Then loss of nasal, /n/, in the coda position. After this, there is complete lenition of the now intervocalic /g/, the grapheme remains.
Congostre [kongostre] > Congostra [kõostra]*
Fortition of nasal consonant /n/. Vowel evolution of the Classical Latin stressed vowel, short /o/ to Vulgar Latin high mid back rounded /o/ to low mid back rounded /ɔ/. Complete lenition of pre-consonantal /s/
Congostre [kõostra]> congotre [kɔ.notre]
Compromised articulation of /o/ between nasal and stop results in a dipthongization: /o/> /oi/.
Congotre [kɔ.notre]> congoitre /kɔ.noitre/
Further compromised articulation leads to the low mid /ɛ/ spelled “ai”. Complete loss of word final vowel /e/>/ə/> zero , followed by compromise articulation of now word final consonant /r/> /ʁ/.
Connoitre> connaitre /kɔ.nɛtʁ/
- Status [status]> estat [estat]> état [eta] “state” Vowel prosthesis of /e/ before word initial /s/.
Status [status] > Estatus [estatus]
Complete Lenition of word final consonant /s/ and then loss of word final vowel /u/.
Estatus [estatus] > Estat [estat]
Complete lenition of pre-consonantal /s/ leaving an accent acute mark over the preceding /e/.
Estat [estat] > État [etat]
Lenition of dental plosive /t/ in the coda position. The spelling remains the same.
État [etat]> État [eta]