Re: Latin c- > Romance g-, any explanation?

From: Richard Wordingham
Message: 69283
Date: 2012-04-09

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Rick McCallister <gabaroo6958@...> wrote:

> ***R
> Yet *grassu- seems to be the exception and, curiously, is (about) the only example found in French of /k-/ > /g-/ that I can think of, compare to French chat, cave, crypte (there is also grotte < ? Italian). France definitely had a Celtic substrate, so why doesn't French follow Spanish, Italian and Portuguese?
>

The derivatives of _cavea_ through French into English are _cage_ and, from the dimunitive, _gaol_.

A minor point worth making is that the further back in the mouth a stop is made, the less time there is to make the voicing distinction. Thus apparently random voicing changes happen most easily with velars.

Richard.