Drummond's Law

Drummond's Law (named after the fictional linguist Colin Drummond) is a sound change in the western group of Hesperic. In West Hesperic, consonants followed by Proto-Albic *x were velarized, with the *x itself disappearing. Stops became velar stops, preserving their laryngeal features (e.g., *t'x > *k'); *sx became *h, and *nx became the velar nasal *ng. The reflexes of liquids under Drummond's Law vary by branch:

• In Albic, they became *ɣ and later *g.
• In Alpianic, they became sounds transcribed *ĺ (probably [ɫ]) and *ŕ (probably [ʀ]).
• In Montdorais, they became *ɣ, as in early Albic.
• In Balla, they became r [ʀ] (unvelarized *r merges with l).
• In Conni, they became h.

The Alpianic reflexes are clearly the most archaic.

The semivowels apparently did not change.