Leyes fonéticas · Ley 13 · Consonantes

Germanic W- becomes gu- / g-

Germanic W-

Por ahora, las explicaciones de esta sección están en inglés; los ejemplos están en todas las lenguas.

Español

gu- ([gw] before a, o; [g] before e, i)

Francés

g(u)- [g]

Italiano

gu- [gw]

Portugués

gu- ([gw] before a, o; [g] before e, i)

Rumano

— (Romanian has no words from this Germanic layer)

Catalán

gu- ([gw] before a, o; [g] before e, i)

Qué ocurrió

Words borrowed from Germanic peoples (Franks, Goths, Lombards) in late antiquity began with a [w] that spoken Latin no longer had, since its own V had become a fricative. Speakers rendered it as gw, reinforcing the lip-rounding with a velar stop. Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Catalan keep gu-; French reduced gw to plain g, writing gu before e and i. Romanian, cut off from the West, never received these words (gardă and gherilă are modern loans).

Ejemplos

Latín	Italiano	Español	Francés	Portugués	Rumano	Catalán	Pariente en inglés
Germanic *WERRA‘strife → war’	guerra	guerra	guerre	guerra	—	guerra	war
Germanic *WARDŌN‘to watch, guard’	guardare	guardar	garder	guardar	—	guardar	guard
Germanic *WĪSA‘manner, way’	guisa	guisa	guise	guisa	—	guisa	guise
Frankish *WARNJAN‘to equip, furnish’	guarnire	guarnecer	garnir	guarnecer	—	guarnir	garnish

Descodificador

Spanish, Italian, Portuguese or Catalan gu- and French g- often go back to English w-: guerra, guerre ~ war; guardar, garder ~ ward. Italian guardare means 'to look at', Spanish and Portuguese guardar 'to keep'.

Excepciones

Germanic w sometimes rubbed off on Latin V-words in French: VESPAM → guêpe (beside avispa, vespa), VASTĀRE → gâter. Norman French kept w, which is why English has war, warden and wardrobe beside guard and guardian.

Qué ocurrió

Ejemplos

Descodificador

Excepciones

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