Assimilation of /t/, /d/ and /n/

Assimilation is a natural process which happens in every language. It is also carried out
unconsciously, so speakers don’t normally realize what they are doing and even tend to be surprised
when told that the actual sounds they produce don’t always match the spelling. The reason behind
assimilation processes is quite simple: our tongue, lips, teeth, etc. have to move from one position to
another, but certain changes are difficult to make in the required time, so they take a shortcut.

For example : One boat

Changing from /n/ to /b/ is not easy because it involves too much movement in the mouth. It can
only be done accurately in slow, careful speech. If we are speaking quickly we turn the /n/ into a
/m/, so that we are already prepared for the /b/. In short, we change the final consonant sound to
one that ‘matches’ the mouth shape of the next one

The sounds most commonly affected by this are t, d, and n. The pronunciation of these final
consonants change when they are followed by specific other consonant sounds.

t + p, b, or n  t changes to a p (some people will use a glottal t)

That person.
It boils.
That money.
But, yeah, at that point I thought, “My God, I could be much more charming than Hugh!”
There were sources that believed that they had a hand in Philip’s assassination
So, clearly, in a way, not much of a regular rhythm there

t + k or g  t changes to a k (some people will use a glottal t)

Is that clear?
Put down that gun.
He greets ticket collectors and stationmasters and they return his salute
As ideas emerge, get going, start writing and a form will start becoming apparent to you.

d + p, b, or m  d changes to a b
It could be better.
You could publish it.
She could modify it.
But, yeah, at that point I thought, “My God, I could be much more charming than Hugh!”

d + k or g  d changes to a g
You should come.
He should go.
He had very low self-esteem, so he didn’t feel he could go and actually approach this person about
what they’d said about him
n + p, b, or m  n changes to m
Ten percent.
Ten boys.
Better than me.
Though I have, certainly on one book, gone back to writing the first draft entirely by hand

n + g or k  n changes to ng (as in sing)

One king.
Then go for it!

Is assimilation necessary?
Not at all. Some people use lots of assimilation, some use very little. You may use it on a consonant
sound one time, but not the next. It’s optional, but very common and natural sounding.
On the other hand, not using any assimilation can make your speaking sound unnatural, robotic, and
disconnected. The good news is that, as it’s done naturally, you will do it without thinking when you
speak quickly.

Listen to this interesting recording:

This is now going to be a struggle between the good guys and the bad guys. Now the army, he says,
the army top brass are the bad guys, the small number of intellectuals who are campaigning to
reopen the trial are the good guys

The speaker doesn’t assimilate the phoneme /d/ to a /g/ in the phrase good guys, but he does do it
in bad guys.

Why does he choose to do it so? This is probably a matter of personal taste or habit, or it might
depend on the moment, the pace of the speech or other factors. Some speakers consistently
assimilate certain sounds and not others, and the same can be said about some expressions or
combinations of words. The fact that someone pronounces should go as /g/ doesn’t mean that he or
she assimilates every /d/ to a /g/.