Thread:User talk:CodeCat/Examples/reply (5)

Except that there is a reason for those changes too. The change of sm to śm in Polish is because the palatal articulation of the m has spread through the entire consonant cluster. In other words, it is assimilation, which is a common phenomenon in languages. The change of črn to crn is also assimilation, because c and r are both articulated in the same place in the mouth, so the č adapted its articulation to the following r.

Ivan Štambuk's explanation also involves assimilation, by the way.