Intervocalic Voicing
Pronouncing F
Pronouncing V
Pronouncing S
Pronouncing Z
Pronouncing th
Pronouncing dh
What is it?
In Old English, the voiceless fricatives
- /f/
- /θ/
- /s/
became voiced when they occurred between two voiced sounds (usually vowels).
Definition
The historical sound change in which a voiceless consonant becomes voiced when it occurs between two vowels (or, more generally, between voiced sounds).
| Old English | Modern English | Change |
|---|---|---|
| lufu | love | /f/ → /v/ |
| giefan | give | /f/ → /v/ |
| hæfde | had | /f/ → /v/ → later lost |
| wulf | wolf | No change (not between vowels) |
Why does it not happen in Wolf?
Because it is not between vowels. But when it becomes plural, the f becomes v
F becoming V in plural conversion