Drummond's Law

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Drummond's Law (named after the fictional linguist Colin Drummond) is a sound change in the northern group of Hesperic. In North Hesperic, consonants followed by Proto-Hesperic *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 and later *g.
  • In Hercynian, they became , conventionally transcribed *gh.
  • In Alpianic, they became sounds transcribed (probably [ɫ]) and (probably [ʀ]).

The semivowels apparently did not change.

The South Hesperic languages did not undergo this change.

See also