Phonetic Analysis

*red bold represents stressed syllable

MARTIUS [martius] (Classical Latin) > Março [martso] (Old Spanish) > Marzo [marθo] (Modern Spanish) March [mart∫]

1. MARTIUS > MARTIU lenition of the final consonant /s/ due to it being in the coda position. The stressed vowel “a” in Classical Latin remains the low mid front vowel in Old / Modern Spanish.

2. MARTIU [mar.ti.u] > MARÇO [martso] in Old Spanish the cluster /t+j/ yields the voiceless alveolar affricate /ts/ phoneme which is represented with the grapheme “ç”.

3. MARÇO > MARZO [marθo] in Modern Spanish the /ts/ phoneme yields the interdental voiceless fricative phoneme /θ/ which is represented with the grapheme “z”.

4. MARÇO > MARZO [marso] In some seseantes varieties the /ts/ from Old Spanish merges with /s/ in Modern Spanish

HOMINE [omine] (Classical Latin) > Omes [omes] (Old Spanish) > Hombre [ombre] (Modern Spanish) Man [meən]

1. HOMINE > OMINE [omine] The grapheme “h” was not pronounced in Classical Latin and so it was dropped to represent the phonetic transcription. There was no phoneme for the grapheme “h” and so the “h” was deleted.

2. OMINE > OMNE [omne] unstressed “ǐ” is removed after syncope. The high mid back long “o” in Classical Latin remains the same in Old Spanish

3. OMNE > OME [ome] the “n” is removed after progressive assimilation where /mn/ > /m/, and the merging of the group /mm/ into /m/.

 Modern Spanish

1. HOMINE > HOMNI [homini] syncope of the unstressed vowel “i”. The high mid back long “o” in Classical Latin remains the same in Modern Spanish

2. HOMNI > HOMRI [homri] the unacceptable /mn/ cluster is resolved by dissimilation between two nasal consonants /mn/ >/mr/ >/mr/

3. HOMRI > HOMBRI [hombri] epenthesis: addition of plosive “b” to resolve the /mr/ cluster

4. HOMBRI > HOMBRE [ombre] The grapheme “h” was not pronounced in Classical Latin and so it was dropped to represent the phonetic transcription. There was no phoneme for the grapheme “h” and so the “h” was deleted in Old Spanish. However, the the aspirated “h” remains th even though it is silent in Modern Spanish. In addition, the Classical Latin the “ǐ” yields the high mid unrounded front vowel “e”

 VERVACTUM [werwaktum] (Classical Latin) > Barvecho [barbetʃo] (Old Spanish) > Barbecho [barβetʃo] (Modern Spanish) Fallow [fæloʊ]

1. VERVACTUM [werwaktum] > VARVECTUM [warwektum] the high mid stressed front vowel Classical Latin long “e” remains the same in Old / Modern Spanish. In this step we also see the metathesis of /e/ and /a/

2. VARVECTUM > VARVECTU [warwektu] The final consonant “m” in the coda position undergoes lenition and is then deleted.

3. VARVECTU > VARVECTO [warwekto] The Classical Latin short [ŭ] becomes the high mid rounded /o/ “o”

4. VARVECTO > VARVECHO [warwetʃo] the /kt/ cluster yields the palatal voiceless affricate /tʃ/ sound which is written with the grapheme “ch”

5. VARCECHO > BARVECHO [barbetʃo] in the early formative period of Romance /b/ and /w/ merged into one unit. In Old Spanish, the word-initial /w/ merged into the plosive velar /b/ written with the grapheme “b” and while the intermedial /w/ remained written with the grapheme “v”

4. BARVECHO > BARBECHO [barβetʃo] eventually with the merger /b/ and /w/ merged into one unit. The result of the merger yields all [w] to be represented with either the grapheme “b” or “v” which both are represented with the same phoneme /b/. If the grapheme in the etymon was “v” or “u”, the “v” was kept after the merger to represent /b/. However, in this case the real pronunciation of “ve” is kept as /βe/

VECLA [wekla] (Vulgar Latin) > Vieja [bjɛxa] (Old & Modern Spanish) > Old [oʊld]

1. VECLA [wekla] > VEJA [weʒa] in Old Spanish the Latin cluster /kl/ yields the fricative voiced palatal /ʒ/ which is represented with the grapheme “j”

1. VEJA [veʒa] > VEJA [wexa] in Old Spanish the fricative palatal /ʒ/ later yields the voiceless fricative velar /x/ phenome which is still represented with the grapheme “j”

2. VEJA > VIEJA [bjɛxa] the Classical Latin stressed low mid rounded short “ĕ” yields the Vulgar Latin /ɛ/ which is represented with the grapheme “ie” in Old / Modern Spanish

 STRICTUS [striktus] (Classical Latin) > Estrecho [estretʃo] (Old & Modern Spanish) Wide [waɪd]

1. STRICTUS [striktus] > STRECTUS [strek.tus] The stressed short [i] in Classical Latin becomes the high mid front vowel “e” in Vulgar Latin, which remains the same in Old / Modern Spanish.

2. STRECTUS > STRECTU [strektu] The final consonant “s” in the coda position undergoes lenition and is then deleted.

3. STRECTU > STRECTO [strekto] the unstressed Classical Latin short [u] becomes the high mid rounded “o”

4. STRECTU > STRECHO [Stretʃo] In modern Spanish the /ct/ cluster yields the palatal voiceless affricate /tʃ/ sound which is written with the grapheme “ch”

5. STRECHO > ESTRECHO addition of the prosthetic vowel “e” ; with this addition the /s/ can syllabify as a coda of the first syllable.

FRIGIDUS [frigidus] (Classical Latin) > Frío [frio] (Old & Modern Spanish) Cold [koʊld]

1. FRIGIDUS [fri.gid.us] > FRIUS [frius] the syncope of the unstressed syllable

2. FRIUS > FRIU [friu] The final consonant “s” in the coda position undergoes lenition and is then deleted.

3. FRIU > FRIO [frio] the unstressed Classical Latin short [u] becomes the high mid rounded “o”

4. FRIO > FRÍO [fri.o] the /io/ cluster does not diphthongize and so it is written with a diacritic mark [ío]. The high mid front long “I” in Classical Latin remains the same in Old / Modern Spanish.

ANGUSTUS [angustu] (Classical Latin) > ANGOSTO [angosto] (Old & Modern Spanish) Narrow [næɹoʊ]

1. ANGUSTUS > ANGUSTU [an.gus.tu] The final consonant “s” in the coda position undergoes lenition and is then deleted.

2. ANGUSTU > ANGOSTU [angosto] the stressed Classical Latin short [ŭ] becomes the high mid rounded “o” /o/.

8. ANGOSTU > ANGOSTO [aŋgosto] Again, the unstressed Classical Latin short [ŭ] becomes the high mid rounded “o”.

METUS [metus] (Classical Latin) > Miedo [mjeðo] (Old & Modern Spanish) Fear [fɪɹ]

1. METUS [metus] > MEDUS [medus] lenition of the intervocalic unprotected stop consonant /t/ which becomes the less gradient stop /d/.

2. MEDUS > MEDU [medu] The final consonant “s” in the coda position undergoes lenition and is then deleted.

3. MEDU > MEDO [meðo] the unstressed Classical Latin short [ŭ] becomes the high mid rounded “o” /o/. The /ð/ is represented by grapheme “d” which yields voiced dental fricative consonant sound. This is a type of lenition in which /d/ in intervocalic position becomes the correspondent approximant dental voiced / ð/.

4. MEDO > MIEDO [mjeðo] The stressed Classical Latin short [e] becomes the low mid front vowel /ɛ/ in Vulgar Latin. This diphthongizes into /je/ in Old/ Modern Spanish which is written with the grapheme “ie”.

AMICUS [amikus] (Classical Latin) > Amigo [amiɣo] (Old & Modern Spanish) Friend [fɹɛnd]

1. AMICUS [a.mi.kus] > AMIGUS [amiɣus] lenition of the stop consonant /k/ which becomes the less gradient stop voiced velar /g/

2. AMIGUS > AMIGU [amiɣu] The final consonant “s” in the coda position undergoes lenition and is then deleted.

3. AMIGU > AMIGO [amiɣo] the unstressed Classical Latin short [ŭ] becomes the high mid rounded “o”. The stressed high mid front long “I” in Classical Latin remains the same in Old / Modern Spanish.

 COMMATER [kommater] (Classical Latin) > Comadre [komaðre] (Old & Modern Spanish) Godmother [gadmʌðəɹ] 

1. COMMATER [ko.mma.ter] > COMATER [komater] de-gemination of the intervocalic /m/ to eliminate the cluster that occupied two timing units

2. COMATER > COMADER [komaðer] lenition of the stop dental voiceless consonant /t/ which becomes the less gradient plosive dental voiced /d/

COMADER > COMADRE [komaðre] metathesis of /r/ and /e/. The stressed Classical Latin low mid front long “a” remains the same in Old/ Modern Spanish

LOCUS [lokus] (Classical Latin) > Luego [lweɣo] (Old & Modern Spanish) Later [leit̬ɚr]

1. LOCUS [lokus] > LOCU [loku] The final consonant “s” in the coda position undergoes lenition and is then deleted.

2. LOCU > LOGU [luɣu] lenition of the stop velar voiceless consonant /k/ which becomes the less gradient velar voiced stop /g/

3. LOGU > LUEGO [lweɣo] the Classical Latin stressed short [ǒ] becomes the low mid back rounded Vulgar Latin / ɔ / which is represented with the grapheme “ue” in Old / Modern Spanish

ARRUGIA [arrugia] (Classical Latin) > Arroyo [aroʝo] (Modern Spanish) Stream [srtim]

1. ARRUGIA [ar.ru.gia] > ARRUYO [aruʝo] in modern Spanish cluster /g+j/ yields the palatal voiced fricative /j/ which is represented with the grapheme “y”

2. ARRUYO > ARROYO [aroʝo] the stressed Classical Latin short [ǔ] becomes the high mid rounded “o”. The word final “a” changes into “o” the overgeneralization of the morpheme “o” to mark the masculine gender.