La F- inicial latina en los orígenes de la lengua española (I)

Abstract

The first part of this study (I) deals with Latin's initial /f/ sound weakening to (h) and its subsequent loss in the language's initial stages. We assess the various explanations which have been proposed for this aspiration: a Latin dialectal feature, an internal evolution of the phonological system, a product ofthe Iberian-Basque substratum, and its relationship with Old Basque aspiration. Additionally, we analyse the first documentary evidence in the various Hispanic dialects from the IX to the XII century, bearing in mind that this phenomenon originally appeared in an area with close geographical links to Basque. With regard to spelling correspondences as evidence of an ongoing phonetic change, we make a some general comments on the uses of writing which might reflect characteristics of speech, taking into account the special relationship between oral and written language in the medieval period.