Phonetic change "f → h" in Spanish
The phonetic sound change /f/ → [h] and subsequent phonemic restructuring to complete loss, /f/ > /Ø/, is a distinctive but by no means unique development of the phonological history of the Spanish language, occurring also among the Romance languages in Gascon, Aromanian, Moldavian and Transylvanian Romanian and, sporadically, other Romance languages. Under certain phonological conditions, the initial Latin /f/ came to be articulated as [h], which then disappeared in standard Spanish, although its pronunciation is preserved for some words in several varieties, especially in a large part of Andalusia, Extremadura and Spanish America (it is also maintained in dialects of transition with the Spanish language such as Cantabro and Extremaduran). The phenomenon is exemplified by a word such as Latin FARĪNA, which evolved to /aˈrina/ in Spanish (with <h> kept in the spelling harina) vs. Italian /faˈrina/ farina (all meaning 'flour').