Final Syllable.
51. As early as the 8th century, in popular words, the vowels of final syllables fell, the fall occurring first, perhaps, after liquids: hĕrĭ ＞ ęr, malĕ ＞ mal; bŏnŭs ＞ bos, cŏlăphŭm ＞ cǫlp, cōgĭto ＞ cüg, panĕm ＞ pan, prĕtiŭm ＞ prętz.
(1) Latin a, however, remained, being generally pronounced ạ: audiăm ＞ auiạ, bŏnă ＞ bonạ, fīliās ＞ filhạs.[32]
(2) Latin final ī probably remained in all dialects later than the 8th century, and in some until the beginning of the literary period: hábuī ＞ águi ＞ aguí. Before it fell, it changed an accented ẹ in the preceding syllable to ị: see § [27].
(3) Latin i and u remained if they were immediately preceded by an accented vowel: fuī ＞ füi, mĕī ＞ męi, sŭī ＞ sọi; cavum ✱caum ＞ chau, dĕus ＞ dęus, ĕgo ✱ĕo ✱ĕu ＞ ęu, rīvum rīum ＞ riu. In such cases the two vowels formed a diphthong.
(4) Before final nt Latin e, u remained as e, o: cantent ＞ canten, vēndunt ＞ vẹndon.
1. In Aude, Tarn, Aveyron, Corrèze, and a part of Haute-Garonne, final ī was preserved as late as the 12th century: pagadi, salvi, soli. See Rom., XIV, 291-2 and XXXIV, 362. Such forms occur also in Vaud and Dauphiné. Cf. Gram., II, p. 82.—In the dialect of some texts, -ī, before falling, palatalized a preceding l (or ll), n (or nn), nd, nt, or t: annī ＞ anh, bellī ＞ beill, ✱infantī ＞ efanh, ✱spiritī ＞ esperih, mundī ＞ monh. See Rom., XXXIV, 353.
2. In the extreme east there are traces of final -ōs: aquestos, ellos, tantos.
3. Grau for gra ＜ gradum, niu for ni ＜ nīdum are Catalan. Amiu for amic ＜ amīcum, chastiu for chastic ＜ castīgo belong to the dialect of Forez, and point to a very early fall of the guttural in that dialect. Cf. § [65], D, G.
4. Aire, vaire, beside air ＜ aĕrem, vair ＜ varium, probably show the influence of the numerous nouns in -aire (amaire, etc.); cf. § [52], (1). Fores beside fors ＜ fŏris, nemes beside nems ＜ nĭmis, senes beside sens ＜ sĭne probably developed the e when the next word began with a consonant: see § [62], (3). For colbe, see § [48], 1. Reide rede perhaps owes its -e to rege: § [49], (1). Beside volp ＜ vŭlpem there is a volpe.