Defrication

/ˌdefrɪˈkeɪʃən/ noun

Definition

A linguistic sound change where a fricative consonant becomes an affricate or changes its manner of articulation.

Etymology

From de- + friction (or the Latin root fricare 'to rub'). This is a specialized phonetics term created in the 20th century to describe specific sound changes observed in language evolution.

Kelly Says

Defrication is the opposite of 'frication'—it's how the 'ch' sound in English evolved from older 'c' sounds, showing how languages constantly reshape their sounds over centuries.

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