63. (1) It is well to note at the outset that when, through the fall
of an unaccented vowel (§ 51), an early Provençal b, d, dz, dž, g, z,
or ž was made final or contiguous to a final s, it became voiceless:
_ŏpus_ ＞ ǫbus ＞ ǫbs ǫps, _ŏrbum_ ＞ ǫrbu ＞ ǫrb ǫrp: _datum_ ＞ dadu ＞ dad
dat, _vĭrĭdem_ _vĭrdem_ ＞ vẹrde ＞ vẹrd vẹrt; _prĕtium_ ＞ prędzu ＞
prędz pręts (written _pretz_), _vōcem_ ＞ vọdze ＞ vọdz vọts (written
_votz_); _mĕdium_ ＞ męyu mędžu ＞ mędž mętš (written _meg_ or _mech_);
_amīcus_ ＞ amigus ＞ amigs amics, _largum_ ＞ largu ＞ larg larc; _rīsum_
＞ rizu ＞ riz ris; _basium_ ＞ bažu ＞ baiž baiš (bais). The combination
tšs, however, loses either its second or its third element: ✱_gaudios_
＞ gautšs ＞ gautš or gauts (both of them often written _gaugz_); so
_nŏctes_ ＞ nuetšs ＞ nuetš or nuets (_nuegz_). For local variations of
g, see (6). For _apud_ ＞ _ab_ _ap_ _am_ _an_, see § 65, P. 2.
(2) Under the same conditions, y became i: _vĭdeo_ ＞ vẹyo ＞ vẹy vẹi,
_pĕjus_ ＞ pęyus ＞ pęys pięis.
(3) Under the same conditions, ð, coming from intervocalic d, fell
when final, but became t before s: _audit_ ＞ auði ＞ auð au; _crūdus_
＞ cruðus ＞ cruds crüts. So _crūdum_ ＞ crü, _fĭdem_ ＞ fẹ, _fraudem_
＞ frau, _gradum_ ＞ gra, _nīdum_ ＞ ni, _nōdum_ ＞ nọ, _pĕdem_ ＞ pę,
_sapidum_ ＞ sabe, _tĕpidum_ ＞ tębe; _grados_ ＞ grats, _nōdus_ ＞ nọts,
_nūdus_ ＞ nüts, _pĕdes_ ＞ pęts. The two sets of forms influenced each
other: hence _degras_, _fes_,[41] _nis_, _pes_, etc.; _crut_, _grat_,
_not_, _nut_,[41] etc.
(4) Under the same conditions, β, coming from v or from intervocalic b,
became u if preceded by a vowel, but fell if preceded by a consonant:
_bĭbit_ ＞ bẹβi ＞ bẹβ bẹu, _vīvit_ ＞ βịβi ＞ βịβ vịu, _claves_ ＞
claβes ＞ claβs claus, _vīvus_ ＞ βīβus ＞ βịβs vịus; _salvet_ ＞ sal,
_salvum_ ＞ sal, _sĕrvit_ ＞ siẹr, _nĕrvos_ ＞ nęrs, _salvus_ ＞ sals,
_sĕrvus_ ＞ sęrs. Sometimes, however, final β preceded by a consonant,
instead of falling, became f: _salvet_ ＞ salf, _salvum_ ＞ salf,
_sĕrvit_ ＞ sięrf, _vŏlvit_ ＞ vǫlf; it may be that these are the only
regular forms for cons. + β _when final_, and that _sal_, _sier_ are
due to the analogy of _sals_, _siers_.
(5) Under the same conditions, final n, if preceded by a vowel, was
kept in the extreme west, parts of the north, and all the southeast and
east, but fell everywhere else; n before s was generally kept only in
the southeast and east: _bĕne_ ＞ be ben, _canem_ ＞ ca can, _sŏnum_ ＞ so
son[42]; _bŏnus_ ＞ bos bons, _mansiōnes_ ＞ maisọs maisọns. In _mĭnus_
＞ mẹns the n was kept, perhaps through the analogy of menọr. If the
n was preceded by a consonant (r), the fall seems to have been even
commoner: _cŏrnu_ ＞ cǫr cǫrn, _tŏrno_ ＞ tọr tọrn; _diŭrnus_ ＞ iọrs
iọrns. For iọrnh ＜ _diŭrnī_, see § 51, 1. Provençal n coming from nn
never falls: _annus_ ＞ ans.
(6) Under the same conditions, g, representing original c or g, became
c after o or u, and after other vowels either became c or was changed
to i (which fused with a preceding i): _fŏcum_ ＞ fǫc, _lŏcus_ ＞ lǫcs,
_paucum_ ＞ pauc, _Hūgo_ ＞ Uc; _Aureliācum_ ＞ Aurelhac, _dīco_ ＞ dic di,
_Henrīcum_ ＞ Enric Enri, ✱_trago_ ＞ trac trai. The forms with c are the
commoner; they have been most persistent in the west.
(7) The vocalization of l before s (_malus_ ＞ maus) is a different
phenomenon from the foregoing. See § 65, L.
(8) An m or an n that becomes contiguous to final s often develops into
mp or nt, but oftener (judging from the spellings) does not: _nĭmis_ ＞
_nems_ _nemps_; _annos_ ＞ _ans_ _anz_.
(9) Between a liquid or a nasal and a final s, a b or a p generally
fell, unless supported by the analogy of a form in which the b or p was
final: _ambos_ ＞ _ams_ _ambs_, _cŏrpus_ ＞ _cors_, _tĕmpus_ ＞ _tems_
_temps_; cf. _balbs_ (_balb_), _orbs_ (_orb_).
1. The d, n, t of the proclitics _ad_, _quid_, _in_, _aut_,
_et_ will be treated under Final Consonants.
64. Final ts from any source, in Provence, Limousin, and a part of
Languedoc and Gascony, was reduced, during the literary period, to s:
_amātis_ ＞ amatz amas, _habētis_ ＞ avętz avęs, _dīcit_ ＞ ditz dis,
_grandes_ ＞ granz grans, _latus_ ＞ latz las, _prĕtium_ ＞ prętz pręs.
On the other hand, in a part of Limousin (especially in Limoges), and
also in Dauphiné, -ts, in the second person plural of verbs, became t:
habētis ＞ avęt.