Russian
In Russian, consonant mutation and alternations are a very common phenomenon during word formation, conjugation and in comparative adjectives.
The most common classes of mutations involve
- velar/postalveolar alternation /k/→/tɕ/ (к→ч), /ɡ/→/ʐ/ (г→ж), /x/→/ʂ/ (х→ш): тихий/тише (comparative adjective: quiet→quieter)
- Gain/loss of palatalization: царь/царский (adjective formation: tsar (n.)/ tsar (adj.))
Other common mutations are:
- /t/→/tɕ/ (т→ч) / /d/→/ʐ/ (д→ж)
- /z/→/ʐ/ (з→ж)/ /s/→/ʂ/ (с→ш) / /ts/→/tɕ/ (ц→ч)
- /sk/→/ɕː/ (ск→щ): плеск → плещет "splash" / "(he) splashes"
Read more about this topic: Consonant Mutation
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—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)
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