Aspects of Connected Speech

Assimilation of Place of
Articulation
• The most common form involves the
movement of place of articulation of the
alveolar stops /t/, /d/ and /n/ to a position
closer to that of the following sound. For
instance, in the phrase ten cars, the /n/ will
usually be articulated in a velar position, /ˈteŋ
ˈkɑ:z/ so that the organs of speech are ready
to produce the following velar sound /k/.
• Similarly, in ten boys the /n/ will be
produced in a bilabial position, /ˈtem
ˈbɔɪz/ to prepare for the articulation of
the bilabial /b/. This phenomenon is
easy to find also in Italian: think of the
different pronunciations of the ‘n’ in
Gian Paolo, Gian Franco and Gian
Carlo.
 BEFORE A VELAR (/k/, /g/)

Phoneme Realised as Example

/n/ /ŋ/ bank /bæŋk/
/d/ /g/ good girl /gʊg ˈgɜ:l/
/t/ /k/ that kid /ðæk ˈkɪd/

BEFORE A BILABIAL (/m/, /b/, /p/)

Phoneme Realised as Example
/n/ /m/ ten men /tem 'men/
/d/ /b/ bad boys        /bæb ˈbɔɪz/
hot mushrooms /ˈhɒp
/t/ /p/
ˈmʌʃru:mz/
• Reference:
• Brett, D. (n.d). Assimilation of place of articulation. In Aspects of Connected Speech.
Retrieved in January, 2018 from: http://davidbrett.uniss.it/phonology/notes%20and
%20exercises/assimilation/assimilation_of_place_of_articul.htm

All the recording were made by:

• Joshua David Britnell. He was born in Gainesville, Florida. USA and holds a Master of Arts,
Global Studies from Liberty University.