b _b_, _bb_ _bel_, _abbat_
d _d_ _don_
dz _z_, _c_ _plazer_, _dicén_
dž _i_, _g_, _tg_, _gg_, _ioc_, _gen_, _paratge_, _viagge_,
_ti_, _tgi_, _ih_ _coratie_, _lotgiar_, _puihar_
ð _d_ _veder_
f _f_, _ph_ _fer_, _phizica_
g _g_, _gu_ _gras_, _guan_, _guerra_
h (Gascon) _h_, _f?_ _ham_, _fe?_[6]
k _c_, _qu_, _k_, _g_ _cais_, _quar_, _quer_, _ki_,
_longs_[7]
l _l_, _ll_ _leu_, _belleza_
l´ _lh_, _ill_, _ilh_, _fuelha_, _meillor_, _failha_,
_ll_, _l_, _il_, _vellar_, _viel_, _voil_, _fiyl_,
_yl_, _yll_, _li_ _fayllentia_, _filia_
m _m_, _mm_ _mes_, _commanda_
n _n_, _nn_ _nas_, _annat_
n´ _nh_, _gn_, _inh_, _ign_, _cenher_, _plagner_, _poinh_,
_ing_, _innh_, _ingn_, _seignor_, _soing_, _poinnher_,
_ngn_,_nn_, _n_, _in_, _fraingner_, _ongnimen_, _vinna_,
_ng_, _ynh_, _ni_, _ny_, _franén_, _soin_, _sengor_,
_nyh_ _poynh_, _lenia_, _senyoria_,
_senyhor_
ŋ _n_ _lonc_
p _p_, _pp_, _b_ _prop_, _opparer_, _obs_[8]
r _r_ _rire_
r´ _r_ _cuer_
rr _rr_ _terra_[9]
s _s_, _ss_, _c_, _ç_, _x_ _sap_, _fassa_, _cenat_, _ça_,
_locx_
š _ss_, _s_, _sh_, _h_, _faissa_, _cais_, _pueysh_,
_hs_ _Foih_, _faihs_
t _t_, _tt_, _d_ _tot_, _attenir_, _nud_[8]
ts _c_, _z_, _tz_, _ç_, _cel_, _faz_, _parlatz_, _ço_,
_gz_, _cz_, _ti_ _fagz_, _czo_, _fayllentia_[10]
tš _ch_, _g_, _ich_, _ig_, _chan_, _plag_, _ueich_, _faig_,
_h_, _gz_ _lah_, _gaugz_[11]
v _u_ (printed _v_) _ven_
y _i_, _y_ _gabia_, _preyar_
z _s_, _z_, _ç_ _pausa_, _roza_, _riçia_
(＜ _ridēbat_)
ž _s_, _z_, _i_ _raso_, _poizo_, _maio_
10. The Gascon group presents certain striking divergences from
the other dialects: (1) it shows a b corresponding to Provençal v,
as in _be_ = _ve_ ＜ _vĕnit_, _abetz_ = _avetz_ ＜ _habētis_; (2)
it substitutes r for l between vowels, as in _bera_ = _bela_ ＜
_bĕlla_; (3) it changes initial f to h, as in _he_ = _fe_ ＜ _fĭdem_.
Other Gascon peculiarities are less ancient, less general, or less
important.
11. Some distinctions may be pointed out between the speech of the
north and that of the south:--
(1) Latin ca and ga, either at the beginning of a word or after
a consonant, became respectively tša and dža in the northern
dialects[12], and remained unchanged in the southern: _canto_ ＞
_chan can_, _lŏnga_ ＞ _lonia longa_.
(2) Latin ct and gd became it and id in most of the north and
in the southwest[12], tš and dž in most of the south and in the
northwest[13]: _factum_ ＞ _fait fach_, _frig(i)da_ ＞ _freida
freia_. Nct became int, nt, n´, ntš in different regions:
_sanctum_ ＞ _saint sant sanh sanch_. Cs (Latin _x_) had various
local developments--is, itš, tš--somewhat similar to those of
ct: _exīre_ ＞ _eissir eichir ichir_.
(3) Latin d between vowels disappeared in some spots in the
north and northeast[12], and became z nearly everywhere else:
_audīre_ ＞ _auir auzir_.
(4) Latin ll became l´ in some parts of the south[13], and
usually l in other regions: _bĕlla_ ＞ _belha bela_.
(5) Provençal final ns remains in the southeast and east, and
is elsewhere generally reduced to s: _bŏnus_ ＞ _bons bos_.
Provençal final n also falls in a large region, but its history
is more intricate; the poets use indifferently forms with and
without _n_: _bĕne_ ＞ _ben be_.
12. Several Latin consonants, when combined with a following ḙ or i̭,
give results that are widely different in various localities, but the
geographical distribution of the respective forms is complicated and
not always clear: _pŏdium_ ＞ _puech poi_; _basiare_ ＞ _baisar basar
baiiar baiar_; _bassiare_ ＞ _baissar baichar bachar_; _potiōnem_ ＞
_poizon pozon poio_. The same thing may be said of intervocalic y
(Latin _j_): _major_ ＞ _mager maier_. Also of intervocalic c, sc, g,
ŋg, followed by e or i: _placēre_ ＞ _plazer plaizer plager_, _nascere_
＞ _naisser nasser naicher nacher_, _lēgem_ ＞ _lei leg_, _ŭngere_ ＞
_onher onger_.
13. In the development of unstressed vowels there are very numerous
local variations, which will be discussed later. Even among accented
vowels there are some divergences:--
(1) Provençal ą, ę, ǫ before nasals become ạ, ẹ, ọ in some
dialects, especially in those belonging to or bordering on the
Limousin group: _canem_ ＞ cąn cạn, _vĕnit_ ＞ vęn vẹn, _bŏnum_
＞ bǫn bọn. The poets nearly always use the forms with close
vowels.
(2) The breaking of ę, ǫ, under certain conditions, into
diphthongs is not common to the whole territory, and the
resulting forms show local differences: _mĕum_ ＞ męu mięu,
_fŏcum_ ＞ fǫc fuǫc fuęc füc. Breaking is least common in the
southwest.