Map of Yeísmo in the Spanish speaking world. Blue areas have the same sound for y and ll [IPA:/ʝ/; ENG:"y"], areas in pink maintain a distinction between the two sounds [IPA:/ʝ/+/ʎ/; ENG:"y"+"ly"]
What I find interesting about this is that this transition also happened in highly unrelated languages such as Hungarian, Greek and Swedish, not only in related Portuguese and French.
In Hungarian, /ʎ/ in most dialects turned into /j/, but the spelling ⟨ly⟩ was preserved, hence lyuk [juk].
In Swedish, /lj/ turned into /j/ in word-initial positions, but the spelling ⟨lj⟩ was preserved, hence ljus [ˈjʉːs].
In Cypriot Greek, /lj/ is often pronounced as [ʝː], especially by younger speakers. In Standard Modern Greek, it always surfaces as [ʎ].
I guess people find it hard to pronounce /ʎ/ but are too inert to change the spelling.
If Bogota is a mixed area, surely that’s because of people from its northern regions like Cundinamarca and Boyacá coming into the city, because being there you don’t hear distinction very often at all.
Is that Mendoza in the Andes between Argentina and Chile? Super interesting how they’re a small pocket of distinction just there.
8 Comments
zksmk@sopuli.xyz · 11 pts · 3y
Listen to /ʝ/
Listen to /ʎ/
What I find interesting about this is that this transition also happened in highly unrelated languages such as Hungarian, Greek and Swedish, not only in related Portuguese and French.
I guess people find it hard to pronounce /ʎ/ but are too inert to change the spelling.
DigitalAudio@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 3y
My real question would be: if it’s hard to pronounce, why did it appear long ago in so many different languages?
Portuguese still keeps it, with /lh/ like trabalho which is different from /j/ like janeiro.
ichmagrum@feddit.de · 6 pts · 3y
Does the pink area in Spain include Madrid?
zksmk@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 3y
The city itself is blue, but the northern outskirts are purple.
Ignacio@sopuli.xyz · 4 pts · 3y
I don't know, but where I live (Asturias) I never noticed any distinction between y and ll, despite being a mixed area.
DigitalAudio@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 3y
If Bogota is a mixed area, surely that’s because of people from its northern regions like Cundinamarca and Boyacá coming into the city, because being there you don’t hear distinction very often at all.
Is that Mendoza in the Andes between Argentina and Chile? Super interesting how they’re a small pocket of distinction just there.
verity_kindle@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 3y
News this Spanglish user can use! Muthas grathias 🥳