Middle Valthungian

Middle Valthungian represents a period in the development of Valthungian lasting from around 1200‒1600ᴀᴅ marked mainly by palatalization of a great many consonants as well as some minor reduction to unstressed vowels. Though this is a range which experienced many changes, the most representative example of “Middle Valthungian” is the language as captured by the suddenly-prolific Valthungian writers at the beginning of the Renaissance, circa 1450‒1500 a.d.

Major Changes from Old Valthungian Middle Valthungian

Defenestration of Greek Fricatives

By approximately 1250 or possibly earlier, spirantized b [β] had come to be realized as [v], and its unvoiced counterpart, f, which may have been realized as [ɸ] in Proto-Germanic, Gothic, Griutungi, and possibly Old Valthungian, became definitively realized as [f]. Meanwhile the previously spirantized g [ɣ] had reverted to its non-continuant form and merged with [ɡ]. According to a document recently discovered in an attic in Padua, shortly after these changes were complete, the now-useless Greek letters were gathered up and cast out of a high window into the Piave by an angry Bishop who had spent most of his career decrying the evils of feta.

	β	→	v
	ɸ	→	f
	ɣ	→	ɡ

Vowel Tensing

ʏ → y (merges with /y/)
ɪ → i
ɛ → e̞, ɛː → e̞ː
œ → ø̞, œː → ø̞ː
ɔ → o̞, ɔː → o̞ː
ʊ → u

Metathesis

Vr → rV / _C

• Does not apply / Cw_

Rhotacism Fail

ʝ → ʑ (merges with [ʑ] from /z/)
/ʑ/ goes on to stubbornly not become /r/.