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[โ€“] 7 points 2 weeks ago (7 children)

One plausible etymology is:

aqua > agua > egua > ewa > ewe > eawe > eaw > eau > o

So first the k sound changed to a g, then the initial a became an e, which lengthened to a diphthong, the final sound disappeared, the new final sound turned from a consonant into a vowel (like an oo) and the resulting triphthong reduced to a monophthong.

The elision of medial g is pretty surprising to me though.

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 2 weeks ago* (6 children)

    Are you sure that the Q is supposed to be read like a K? It does not seem to be the case in other neo-latin languages such as Italian and IIRC Spanish

    Edit: i searched and it seems that the sound of Q could've been /kสท/ which makes sense

    i am not a latin expertโ€“ i barelly know it in fact, btw

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  • [โ€“] 2 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

    Yes, Latin qu was pronounced /kสท/, which became straight /kw/ in English. I don't know which it was in Old French. Italian does have qu which is pronounced /kw/.

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  • [โ€“] 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

    Italian does have qu which is pronounced /kw/

    Same in German actually no

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  • [โ€“] 2 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

    Sorry bud, but in German it usually (though not always ill grant you) is pronounced /kv/ :) quark, quasseln, usw

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  • [โ€“] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    Oh dang you're right, read your comment too quickly and mixed up v and w, lol

    What's the difference between /kสท/ and /kw/ though? Never seen that first notation

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  • [โ€“] 2 points 2 weeks ago

    The former is a labialised consonant, so the lips are brought close together, like to pronounce a /w/, but while saying a k. The general term is "secondary articulation". I think the most famous of these, at least in European languages, is palatalisation.

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