Historical phonology of Slevan

Vulgar Latin sound changes

Latin to Vulgar Latin (Pre-Romance) ? -150 C.E.

Latin	Condition	Result	Example(s)
m	word-finally	disappears	CAELUM > *kaelu > czál
y̆, ȳ	everywhere	ĭ, ī	CYGNUS > *kignus > czenj
ae	word-finally	ǣ	ROSAE > *rosǣ > roze
	elsewhere	ĕ [ɛ]	CAELUM > *kelu > czál
oe		ē	FOEDUM > *fēdu > véd
au		ō	CAUSA > *kōsa > kuza
eu		jū
ui		ū
ĭ,ĕ	before another vowel	j	SPATIUM > *spatju > spóc LĪNEA > līnja > linja
ŭ	before another vowel	w	VIDUA > *vidwa > vedva
h	disappears		HODIĒ > odjē > oj COLAPHUM > *kolapu > klóp CATHEDRA > *katedra > kotjedra MĀCHINA > *mākina > máczna
ns	s		ĪNSULA > *īsula > ízla
nct, mpt	nt		SANCTUM > *sàntu-eu > sútý PRŌMPTUM > *prōntu > prútý
nj, cn, gn, mnj		ň [ɲ]	LĪNEA > *līňa > linja CYGNUM > *kiňu > czenj SOMNIUM > *soňu > sonj
mĭn	between vowels	mn	DOMINUM > *domnu > dún
per-	word initially	par-	PERAMBULĀRE > *parambulāre > porúblár PERDERE > *pàrdere > pradír PERSŌNA > *parsōna > prasuna
b	between vowels	v [β]	LĂBŌRĀRE > *lavōrare > lóvrár
s	between vowels	z	ĪNSULA > *īzula > ízla CAUSA > *kōza > kuza
sp, st, sc [sk]	word initial	ĭsp, ĭst, ĭsk	SPŌNSA > *ispōza > spuza STUDIUM > *istudju > stuj SCHOLA > *iskola > skola

• It is possible that the Greek y sound was adopted as i by Vulgar Latin from the beginning.

• Note that h was lost everywhere, also in the Greek aspirates ph, th, ch. It is especially noteworthy that ph became p, not f in the kind of Vulgar Latin that led to Slevan.

Northeast Romance sound changes

Vulgar Latin to Early Northeast Romance 150 - 600 C.E.

V.L.	Condition	Result	Example(s)
ă, ā	in an open stressed, or unstressed final, syllable	a	MĀRE > *mare > már RŌMA > *rōma > Ruma
	in a closed stressed, or an unstressed, syllable	o [ɔ]	CAPRA > *kopra > kopra PĀGĀNU > *poganŭ ĂRĀNEA > *oraňa > oranja