Stemmingsverandering

Stemmingsverandering, a Dutch term, refers to a phonetic change where the voicing of a consonant alters within a word. This phenomenon typically involves a voiceless consonant becoming voiced, or a voiced consonant becoming voiceless, due to the influence of adjacent sounds or its position in a word. For instance, the voiceless /s/ sound might become voiced as /z/ between vowels.

This process is often assimilation, where one sound becomes more like a neighboring sound. In stemmingsverandering, the voicing feature is the characteristic being assimilated. It can occur at word boundaries as well, influencing the pronunciation of words when they are spoken in sequence. While not a universal rule, stemmingsverandering is a recognized aspect of Dutch phonology and contributes to the natural flow of speech. Understanding stemmingsverandering helps in comprehending the subtle variations in spoken Dutch and can be relevant for language learners and linguists studying sound change. It is distinct from changes in grammatical mood or tone.