F is very rare (cf. § [59]). The few examples appear to show that f (presumably in the 6th century or earlier) became β, and then developed like any other β (see β): Stĕphănum ＞ Estęve, co(n)fortāre? ＞ ✱coβortar ＞ ✱coortar ＞ conortar (through the common use of the double forms, con-, co-), gryphum ＞ griu, raphănum ＞ rave rafe, ✱refusāre ＞ rehusar refusar, ✱prefŭndum (= pro-) ＞ preọn. Nevertheless, cofịn ＜ cŏphĭnum, defǫrs ＜ de fŏris, grifọ, profięg ＜ profĕctum, rafe, would seem to indicate that in some words, possibly less popular at the outset, f was retained.
1. In purely learned words, f was kept: antifona, Caifas, philozophia.
G, representing original c and g, had a varied development.[48] For the fall of g in some words in Vulgar Latin, see § [55], G.
(1) Before a, g remained in the greater part of the territory, but in the north and east it early became y; and this y was generally retained in the eastern dialects (often fusing with a preceding i), while in most of the northern it developed into dž (cf. Y): amīca ＞ amiga amiia amia, dīcam ＞ diga dia, mīca ＞ miga miia mia,[49] pacāre ＞ pagar paiar, precāre ＞ pregar preiar; castigāre ＞ castigar castiar, legālem ＞ leial leyal lial, ligāmen ＞ liam, lĭgātum ＞ legat liat, plaga ＞ plaga plaia, regālem ＞ reial, rūga ＞ rüa.[50]
(2) Before o and u (ü), g was preserved, except in a few words which (doubtless in Vulgar Latin times) lost it either in all or in many dialects: acūtum ＞ agüt, secŭndum ＞ segọn, secūrus ＞ segürs; ✱a(u)gūrium ＞ agür aür, a(u)gŭstum ＞ agọst[51] ahọst, proclitic ĕgo ＞ ęu, ✱fagŏttum ＞ fagǫt, figūra ＞ figüra, Hugōnem ＞ Ugọ. For a g that becomes final or contiguous to final s, see § [63], (6): amīcus ＞ amics amis, Auriācum ＞ Auriac, cŏcum (= cŏquum) ＞ cǫc, jŏcus ＞ iǫcs, Ludovīcum ＞ Lozoic Lozoi, prĕco ＞ pręc; castīgo ＞ chastic chasti.
(3) Between the last two vowels of a proparoxytone, g, early in the Provençal period, became y, which developed into dž before the literary epoch; cf. § [49], (4): clĕrĭcum ＞ clęrge, ✱coratĭcum ＞ coratge, domĭnĭcum ＞ dimẹnge, manĭca ＞ mania, mĕdĭcum ＞ męge, mŏnăchum ＞ monge, ✱paratĭcum ＞ paratge, viatĭcum ＞ viatie. In some dialects, however, the vowel of the penult, after liquids and nasals, fell too early for the g to become y: clęrgue,[52] esta(t)ga, mętgue, mongue.
1. Amiu, chastiu belong to the dialect of Forez; so perhaps fau ＜ fagum, preu ＜ prĕco. These forms indicate a very early fall of the g in the dialect to which they belong. Cf. § [51], 3.
2. In purely learned words, Latin g remains unchanged: paganōrum ＞ paganor.
G´ became y during the Vulgar Latin period (§ [55], G). See Y.
1. In purely learned words the letter g was retained, but it was doubtless pronounced dž: astrologia.