What is lenition in phonological process ?

Lenition is a phonological process in which a consonant sound becomes weaker or more lenis (less strong) in pronunciation. This can involve changes such as the weakening of a stop consonant to a fricative, the deletion of a consonant, or the insertion of a vowel sound. Lenition often occurs in unstressed syllables or in rapid speech, and can result in the simplification or reduction of consonant clusters.

Lenition is a phonological process in which a consonant undergoes a weakening of its articulation, usually resulting in a change in its sound quality or a reduction in its intensity. This can involve the loss of voicing, the addition of aspiration, or the replacement of one consonant with another that is more easily pronounced.

Lenition is a common phenomenon in many languages and can occur in a variety of contexts. For example, in English, the consonant /t/ is often lenited to /d/ when it occurs between vowels, as in the words "water" and "butter." In Spanish, the consonant /b/ is lenited to /β/ in certain environments, such as before a vowel, as in the word "hablar" ("to speak").

Lenition can have a number of effects on the phonological system of a language. It can lead to the creation of new phonemes, the merger of existing phonemes, or the loss of phonemes altogether. Lenition can also affect the syllable structure and stress patterns of a language.

In addition to its role in phonological change, lenition can also be used as a stylistic device to convey different meanings or emotions. For example, in some languages, lenition is used to indicate emphasis or to create a sense of intimacy.