Lois phonétiques · Loi 13 · Consonnes

Germanic W- becomes gu- / g-

Germanic W-

Les explications sont pour l’instant en anglais ; les exemples sont dans toutes les langues.

Espagnol

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

Français

g(u)- [g]

Italien

gu- [gw]

Portugais

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

Roumain

— (Romanian has no words from this Germanic layer)

Catalan

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

Ce qui s’est passé

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).

Exemples

Latin	Italien	Espagnol	Français	Portugais	Roumain	Catalan	Parent anglais
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

Clé de lecture

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'.

Exceptions

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.

Ce qui s’est passé

Exemples

Clé de lecture

Exceptions

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