title: Fortis/Lenis
aliases: [fortis, lenis, fortis/lenis, fortis-lenis, lenition, sound softening, consonant softening]
tags: [term]
category: Sounds
summary: The change in a consonant when morphemes join — usually softening (t→d, p→b, s→z, k→g, m→ŵ), sometimes hardening (w→gw).

Fortis/Lenis

Fortis/lenis ("strong/weak") is the most common sound pattern in OVP grammar: when morphemes join (a prefix or suffix meeting a word) the consonant at the boundary changes.

Most often it softens: t→d, p→b, s→z, k→g, and the nasal m→ŵ. So tüka ("eat") becomes ma-düka ("eating it") once the object prefix ma- is in front, and puggu ("horse") becomes i-buggu ("my horse"). There are patterns and exceptions, but it's best to absorb them through exposure rather than rules.

See also Prefix, and Sounds and Spelling.