Mutations and External Sandhi
All of the consonant mutations described above began as simple phonological processes in the British language from which Breton arose and became standardised as grammatical processes as the language developed. Similar phonological processes continued to affect Breton and cause changes to word-initial sounds, but they are usually applied based on the phonology of the preceding word and not on its function. Because of this, they cannot be described as true initial mutations and are more properly aspects of external sandhi.
Read more about this topic: Breton Mutations
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