Spirantization

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Spirantization is a lenition process. In spirantization, a plosive or an affricate "weakens" to a fricative (or spirant). Sometimes, an affricate is formed in an intermediary step.

[edit] Examples of the spirantization process

[edit] Spanish

In spoken Spanish, intervocalic voiced plosives undergo spirantization:

Plosive	Spirantization
[b]	→ [β]
[d]	→ [ð]
[g]	→ [ɣ]

For a diachronical example, see Germanic spirant law.

[edit] See also

• Lenition
• Apophony
• Spirant