<p>Yes, of course, that's entirely possible!</p>
<p>See also <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335590616_Lenition_of_word-final_plosives_in_Basque" rel="noreferrer">word-final voicing in Basque</a>, which is an example of a sound change that affects word-final consonants especially much. Conceivable, such could also lead to spirantization (plosive&gt;fricative) word-finally. (And there are certainly more other ways such a trait could come to be)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-16T11:31:14.690Z
In German you get "Auslautverhaertung", where voiced consonants become de-voiced (/d/ -> /t/, /g/ -> /k/)
Oliver Mason
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2021-09-16T11:58:49.830Z
@OliverMason True, it's a feature if other Germanic languages as well.
Cecilia
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2021-09-17T02:02:11.717Z
@OliverMason And Russian, and Sanskrit (there the change is shown in writing), and likely many others.
Anton Sherwood
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2021-09-17T21:18:14.603Z
@Richard Very cool, thank's for the answer!
Why It
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2021-09-23T17:37:03.233Z
@WhyIt If you think the answer is sufficient, you can also accept it by clicking the checkmark!
Cecilia
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-16T09:14:53.217Z
2021-09-16T09:14:53.217Z
Cecilia
<p>There are several non-constructed languages, including English, in which almost all words end in consonants, but what about a language in which almost all words end in a certain type of consonant? In my case, I'm trying a synthetic language which relies on different types of fricatives at the end of words to show grammatical meaning. The language has several non-fricative consonants, but would it be realistic for those consonants not to form endings while the fricatives do?</p>

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2021-09-16T03:39:30.127Z
‘would it be realistic for those consonants to form endings while the fricatives do?’ — I have no idea what you’re asking here. Also, the obvious answer is: this conlang sounds like it isn’t intended to be naturalistic, so you can do what you like in it.
bradrn
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2021-09-16T08:54:32.093Z
@bradrn I think they mean 'for those consonants NOT to form endings while the fricatives do'
Cecilia
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2021-09-16T10:02:53.087Z
@Richard That’s what I assume, but I’d appreciate confirmation from OP.
bradrn
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2021-09-16T16:19:01.817Z
Yes, I mean what @Richard said.
Why It
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2021-09-21T18:14:39.017Z
@WhyIt In the future, please edit your question to fix the mistake. People who see your question shouldn't have to look to the comments for a clarification.
OpenAI was the last straw
<phonology><naturalism>
Could a language with only fricatives at the end of words reasonably exist?
# Could a language with only fricatives at the end of words reasonably exist?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-09-15)

There are several non-constructed languages, including English, in which almost all words end in consonants, but what about a language in which almost all words end in a certain type of consonant? In my case, I'm trying a synthetic language which relies on different types of fricatives at the end of words to show grammatical meaning. The language has several non-fricative consonants, but would it be realistic for those consonants not to form endings while the fricatives do?

**Tags:** phonology, naturalism

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: ‘would it be realistic for those consonants to form endings while the fricatives do?’ — I have no idea what you’re asking here. Also, the obvious answer is: this conlang sounds like it isn’t intended to be naturalistic, so you can do what you like in it.  
> **username_2**: @username_1 I think they mean 'for those consonants NOT to form endings while the fricatives do'  
> **username_1**: @Richard That’s what I assume, but I’d appreciate confirmation from OP.  
> **username_0**: Yes, I mean what @Richard said.  
> **username_3**: @WhyIt In the future, please edit your question to fix the mistake. People who see your question shouldn't have to look to the comments for a clarification.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-09-16. Score: 5

Yes, of course, that's entirely possible!

See also [word-final voicing in Basque](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335590616_Lenition_of_word-final_plosives_in_Basque), which is an example of a sound change that affects word-final consonants especially much. Conceivable, such could also lead to spirantization (plosive>fricative) word-finally. (And there are certainly more other ways such a trait could come to be)

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: In German you get "Auslautverhaertung", where voiced consonants become de-voiced (/d/ -> /t/, /g/ -> /k/)  
> **username_2**: @OliverMason True, it's a feature if other Germanic languages as well.  
> **username_5**: @OliverMason And Russian, and Sanskrit (there the change is shown in writing), and likely many others.  
> **username_0**: @Richard Very cool, thank's for the answer!  
> **username_2**: @WhyIt If you think the answer is sufficient, you can also accept it by clicking the checkmark!  

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