Re: Probability of Article Replacement?

Joe scripsit:

> /inD@/ > /inD/ > /ind/ > /int/ > /in?/
It's the ind > int step that looks fishy to me, especially with a voiced
consonant following.  Sound-change usually moves toward lenition rather than
fortition, unless assimilation is involved, which it isn't here.

But if the article in question always ended in /t/, we have the much more
natural progression [It] > [@t] > [t] > [?].

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