Phonetic Analysis

Key:
Stressed syllable in bold
Section of word being analyzed in blue

 

• MELIORE [meliore] (Classical Latin) > Mejor [mexor] (Old/Modern Spanish) | Engl.: “Better” [bɛtər]

1. MELIORE [meliore] > MEJORE [mexore] after the palatization of the vowel-consonant cluster /L + j/–which is contained in the stressed syllable—becomes the lateral, palatal voiced /ʎ/, which could be represented with the grapheme “j” or “g”, even “i+vowel”. This phoneme then delaterizes to become the fricative, velar voiceless /x/ graphically represented as “j”
2. MEJORE [mexore] > MEJORE [mexore] since the stressed syllable “LIO” evolves to become the stressed syllable “LO”, the Classical Latin vowel “ō” long /o/ evolves to become the high-mid, back rounded vowel “o” /o/ in Vulgar Latin and the same in Spanish
3. MEJORE [mexore] > MEJOR [mexor] after the lenition and deletion of the final vowel /e/ “e”

 

• NOCTE [nokte] (Classical Latin) > Noche [notʃe] (Old/Modern Spanish) | Engl.: “Night” [naɪt]

1. NOCTE [nokte] > NOCTE [noxte] after the evolution of the stressed Classical Latin vowel “ō” long /o/ evolves to become the high-mid, back rounded vowel “o” /o/ in Vulgar Latin and remains the same in Spanish
2. NOCTE [notʃe] > NOCHE [noche] after the palatization of the consonant cluster /-kt-/ becomes the affricate, post-alveolar voiceless /tʃ/ graphically represented as “ch”

 

• VICINUS (Classical Latin) > Vezino (Old Spanish) > Vecino [beθino] (Modern Spanish) | Engl.: “Neighbor” [neɪbər]

1. VICINUS [wikinus] > VICINUS [wikinus] after the evolution of the stressed Classical Latin vowel “ī” long /i/ becomes the high, front, unrounded vowel /i/ “i” in Vulgar Latin and in Spanish
2. VICINUS [wikinus] > VECINUS [wekinus] after the Classical Latin vowel “ĭ” becomes the high-mid, front, unrounded vowel “e” /e/ in Vulgar Latin. When the vowel “e” in Vulgar Latin is in a free syllable, it remains the high-mid, front, unrounded vowel /e/ in Spanish
3. VECINUS [wekinus] > VECINO [wekino] after the Classical Latin Vowel “ŭ” becomes the high-mid, back, rounded vowel “o” /o/ in Vulgar Latin and then in Spanish. The final consonant “s” in the coda position undergoes lenition and is then deleted.
4. VECINO [wekino] > VEZINO [betsino] after the back, semi-consonantal /w/ in Latin becomes the plosive bilabial consonant /b/, in this case graphically represented as “v” in Spanish. The plosive velar voiceless consonant /k/ graphically represented as “c” in Latin becomes the affricate, alveolar voiced phoneme /dz/ which was graphically represented as a “z” in old Spanish, and which then merges with the affricate, alveolar voiceless phoneme /ts/
5. VEZINO [betsino] > VECINO [beθino] after the consonant “z” from the Old Spanish reflex is modernized becomes the fricative, interdental voiceless consonant /θ/ written “c(i)” in some varieties of Modern Spanish; in other varieties, it merges with /s/, although continues to be represented with “c+e, i” or “z+a,o,u”.

• CENTUM [kentum] (Classical Latin) > çient [tsjent] (Old Spanish) > Cien [θjen] (Modern Spanish) | Engl.: “Hundred” [hʌndrəd]

1. CENTUM [kentum] > CIENTUM [kjentum] after the evolution of the stressed Classical Latin vowel “ĕ” becomes the low-mid, front, unrounded vowel /ɛ/ graphically represented as “e”. This Vulgar Latin vowel then diphthongizes in the transition to Spanish to become /je/ written “ie”
2. CIENTUM [kjentum] > CIENT [kjent] the final syllable “-TUM#” undergoes two processed of lenition: first the lenition of the final consonant “m”, and then final vowel “u”. The “t” from “TUM” remains.
3. CIENT [kjent] > ÇIENT [tsjent] after the Latin cluster “ci” /k+j/ becomes the Old Spanish affricate, alveolar, voiceless phoneme /ts/ written “ç”
4. ÇIENT [tsjent] > CIENT [θjent] after the modernization of the Old Spanish consonant “ç” in a protected position (at the word initial) becomes the fricative, interdental voiceless phoneme /θ/ written “c”. In some varieties of Modern Spanish it merges with /s/, although continues to be represented with “c+e, i” or “z+a,o,u”.
5. CIENT [θjent] > CIEN [θjen] after the lenition of the final consonant “t” due to weakening and ease of pronunciation

 

• ACCUM HIC [akum] [ik] (Classical Latin) > Aquí [aki] (Old/Modern Spanish) | Engl.: “Here” [hir]

1. ACCUM HIC [akkum] [ik] > ACCUM HIC [akum] [ik] after the evolution of the stressed Classical Latin vowel “ā,ă” long or short /a/ becomes the front, low, unrounded vowel “a” /a/ in Vulgar Latin and Spanish. The stressed Classical Latin vowel “ī” long /i/ becomes the high, front, unrounded vowel /i/ “i” in Vulgar Latin and in Spanish
2. ACCUM HIC > ACUM HIC due to the gemination of the consonant cluster “cc” /kk/
3. ACUM HIC [akum] [ik] > AC HI [ak] [i] after the lenition of the final consonants “m” and “c” in coda position and the deletion of the word final vowel
4. AC+HI [ak] [i] > ACHI [aki] after the combing of the two words due to simplification
5. ACI [aki] > AQUI [aki]  after the lenition of the grapheme “h” and the use of the grapheme “qu” to represent the sound /k/ followed by a front vowel

 

• VINU [winu] (Classical Latin) > Vino [bino] (Old/Modern Spanish) | Engl.: “Wine” [waɪn]

1. VINU [winu] > VINU [winu] after the evolution of the stressed Classical Latin vowel “ī” long /i/ becomes the high, front, unrounded vowel /i/ “i” in Vulgar Latin and in Spanish
2. VINU [winu] > VINO [wino] after the Classical Latin vowel “ŭ” becomes the high-mid, back rounded vowel /o/ “o” in Vulgar Latin and Spanish
3. VINO [wino] > VINO [bino] after the Latin semi-consonant “v” /w/ becomes the plosive, velar, voiced consonant “v” /b/ in Spanish

 

• FORTIA [fortia] (Classical Latin) > fuerça [fuertsa] (Old Spanish) > Fuerza [fwerθa] (Modern Spanish) | Engl.: “Force”

1. FORTIA [fortia] > FUERTIA [fwertia] after the stressed Classical Latin vowel “ŏ” short /o/ becomes the low-mid, back, rounded vowel /ɔ/ which diphthongizes in Spanish to become [we] written “ue”
2. FUERTIA [fwertia] > FUERÇA [fwertsa] after the consonantal cluster /t + j/ written “tia” undergoes palatization to become the Old Spanish cluster /ts/ written “ç”
3. FUERÇA [fwertsa] > FUERZA [fwerθa] after the Old Spanish consonant “ç” in a protected position (syllable initial) modernizes to become the fricative, interdental, voiceless phoneme “θ” written “z”. In some varieties of Modern Spanish it merges with /s/, although continues to be represented with “c+e, i” or “z+a,o,u”.

 

• SEMPER [semper] (Classical Latin) > Sienpre [sjenpre] (Old Spanish) > Siempre [sjempre] (Modern Spanish) | Engl.: “Always” [ɔlˌweɪz]

1. SEMPER [semper] > SIEMPER [sjemper] after the stressed Classical Latin vowel “ĕ” becomes the low-mid, front, unrounded vowel /ɛ/ graphically represented as “e”. This vowel then diphthongizes in Spanish to become /je/ written “ie”.
2. SIEMPER [sjemper] > SIEMPRE [sjempre] after metathesis of the consonant-vowel cluster “per” becomes “pre” due to ease of pronunciation
3. SIEMPRE [sjempre] > SIENPRE [sjenpre] > SIEMPRE [sjempre] from Old Spanish to Modern Spanish there is a series of metathetic changes between the nasal consonants “m” and “n”. It is possible that in Old Spanish the “m” in coda position became /n/ “n”, perhaps due to dissimilation with /p/, which is also a bilabial sound.

• PAUCUS [pawkus] (Classical Latin) > Poco [poko] (Old/Modern Spanish) | Engl.: “A little” [ə ˈlɪtəl]

1. PAUCUS [pawkus] > POCUS [pokus] after the evolution of the stressed Classical Latin diphthong “au” [aw] to the vowel “ŏ” which later evolved into the Vulgar Latin low-mid, back vowel /ɔ/. At this point, /ɔ/ would typically evolve into to Spanish diphthong “eu” [ew] however in this case the word evolves irregularly and the vowel does not diphthongize, but remains “o”.
2. POCUS [pokus] > POCO [poko] after the evolution of the unstressed Classical Latin word-final vowel “u” to the high-mid, back rounded vowel “o” /o/ in Spanish which is easier to pronounce due to fact that the plosive, velar voiceless vowel is homorganic with the manner and place of articulation of the vowel “o”.

 

• MENTITA [mentita] (Classical Latin) > Mentira [mentira] (Old/Modern Spanish) | Engl.: “Lie” [laɪ]

1. MENTITA [mentita] > MENTITA [mentita] after the evolution of the stressed Classical Latin vowel “ī” long /i/ becomes the high, front, unrounded vowel /i/ “i” in Vulgar Latin and in Spanish
2. MENTITA [mentita] > MENTIRA [mentira] after the evolution from the liquid consonant “t” to the liquid consonant “r”

 

• SUBTILIS [subtilis] (Classical Latin) > Sotil(es) [sotil] (Old Spanish) > Sutil(es) [sutil] (Modern Spanish) | Engl.: “Subtle” [sʌtəl]

1. SUBTILIS [subtilis] > SUBTLIS [subtlis] after syncope of the unstressed vowel “i”
2. SUBTLIS [subtlis] > SUBTILS [subtils] after the vowel-consonant cluster “tls” which is very difficult to pronounce undergoes metathesis and becomes “til” for ease of pronunciation
3. SUBTILS [subtils] > SUTILS [sutils] after the lenition of the consonant “b” in the coda position of the syllable
4. SUTILS [sutils] > SUTIL [sutil] after lenition and finally deletion of the final consonant “s” in the coda position of the word

 

• LONGA [longa] (Classical Latin) > Luenga [lwenga] (Old Spanish) > Longa [longa] (Modern Spanish) | Engl.: “Long” [lɔŋ]

1. LONGA > LUENGA after the stressed Classical Latin vowel  “ŏ” short /o/ becomes the low-mid, back, rounded vowel /ɔ/ which diphthongizes in Spanish to become [we] written “ue”
2. LUENGA > LONGA because in modern Spanish the word “luenga” was substituted for the word “larga” which had a similar meaning, but the word “luenga” did not evolve