Betacism

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In historical linguistics, betacism (UK: /ˈbiːtəsɪzəm/ BEE-tə-siz-əm, US: /ˈbeɪ-/ BAY-) is a sound change in which [b] (the voiced bilabial plosive, as in bane) and [v] (the voiced labiodental fricative [v], as in vane) are confused. The final result of the process can be either /b/ → [v] or /v/ → [b]. Betacism is a fairly common phenomenon; it has taken place in Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, and several Romance languages.^[a]
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