Definizione e Significato di "palatalization"

What is "palatalization"?

Palatalization is a phonological process in which a consonant sound is articulated closer to the hard palate of the mouth, often resulting in a change in the consonant's quality. This typically occurs when a consonant is followed by a front vowel or a palatal glide, causing the consonant to take on a palatal character. For example, in Russian, the consonant /t/ can become /tʲ/ when followed by the vowel /i/, leading to a pronunciation change. Palatalization is significant in linguistics because it illustrates how sounds can shift due to their phonetic environment, contributing to the understanding of sound patterns and the evolution of languages.