Consonant Mutation

Consonant mutation is the process of replacing one letter with another in a word without changing the root meaning of the original letter. Imagine the word "sit". If I could replace the "s" with a "c" and/or the "t" with an "r" and still be clear to my audience that I am referring to "sit" be it as the verb form or as a noun (sitter), then I've engaged in consonant mutation.

By defining a theoretical starting point made up of the simplest consonants (ɣ, w, y, r), we can identify how all other consonants evolved by mutating one of the four most basic consonants. To generate, the other 23 members of the Fula consonants, for instance, the first four consonants would have mutated via one (or a combination) of three pathways: 

1. Fortition (opposite = lenition): ɣ --> g, w --> b, y --> j, r --> d
2. Nasalization (opposite = de-nasalization):  g --> ŋg, b --> mb, j --> ñj, r --> nd
3. De-voicing (opposite = voicing): ɣ --> h, w --> f, y --> s, r--> l

Although not taught in a formal setting, an appreciation for these concepts is necessary for speaking any Senegambian language. The concepts are also intuitive to the native speakers even if they are not interested in the theory of linguistics.