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ASSIMILATION

M. Nowacka

Assimilation
•  a consonant is influenced by one of its
neighbours and therefore it is realised differently
(it changes because of the effect of another
sound next to it.)
•  when a phoneme is realised differently due to
context (‘sounds become more similar’),
•  It varies in extent according to speaking rate,
style (more likely to be found in rapid, casual
speech),
•  It occures at word boundaries (ten boys as /tem bɔɪz/ )
and also within a word (urban as /ɜ:bm/)

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Types of assimilation:
progressive & regressive
_ _ _ Cf | Ci _ _ _ _
Cf word final consonant, Ci word intitial consonant

PROGRESSIVE ASSIMILATION
when a sound influences a following sound,
If Ci changes to become more like Cf, e.g.

rock’n roll /̩rɒk ən ˈrəʊl/ → /̩rɒkn ˈrəʊl/ →/̩rɒkŋ ˈrəʊl/
(/n/ → velar /ŋ/ because of velar /k/)

-  urban /ɜ:bn/ → /ɜ:bm/
(alveoal /n/ → bilabial /m/ because of bilabial /b/)

Types of assimilation:
progressive & regressive

REGRESSIVE ASSIMILATION
When a sound influences one which proceeds it,
If Cf changes to become more like Ci, e.g.

- ten boy /ten bɔɪz/ → /tem bɔɪz/

(alveolar /n/ → bilabial /m/ because of bilabial /b/);

-  this shop /ðɪs ʃɒp/ → /ðɪʃ ʃɒp/
(alveolar /s/ → post-alveoalar / ʃ/ before post-alveoalar / ʃ/ )

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Types of assimilation
Assimilation of:
•  place (most common)
•  manner,
•  voicing

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Assimilation of place
•  mostly regressive, occurs when a final consonant
with alveolar place of articulation is followed by
an initial consonant which is not alveolar,
•  alveolar (/n, t, d, s, z/) unstable in English,
assimilate to a neighbouring consonant,
their place of articulation becomes the same as
that of the neighbouring consonant,
if the following consonant is velar, they become
velar, if it is bilabial they become bilabial

Assimilation of place
•  Only the place of articulation changes, the sound
retains its other characteristics
(voicing and manner), i.e.
•  /d/ becomes /b/ before bilabial /p, b/, e.g.
•  /d/ becomes /g/ before velar /k, g/, e.g.
•  /t/ becomes /p/ before bilabial /p, b/, e.g.
•  /t/ becomes /k/ before velar /k, g/, e.g.
•  /n/ becomes /m/ before bilabial /m, p, b/, e.g.
•  /n/ becomes /ŋ/ before velar /k, g/, e.g.

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Assimilation of place

Assimilation of place

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Assimilation of place

Assimilation of place

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Assimilation of manner
Mostly regressive, the change in manner is most likely
to be towards an easier’ consonat, i.e. one which
makes lees obstruction to the airflow,
- plosives > nasals,
- fricatives > nasals

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Assimilation of manner

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Assimilation of manner

Assimilation of voicing
•  If a final sound in a word is a LENIS (voiced)
consonant and an initial sound in a word is a
FORTIS (voiceless), LENIS consonant has little
or no voicing =
•  Word-final voiced fricatives followed by a
word initial voicelss consonant may with some
speakers be realizes as the corresponding
voiceless fricatives

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Assimilation of voicing
•  /ð/= /θ/ in with thanks /wɪð θæŋks/→ /wɪθθæŋks/;

•  /z/ = /s/ in He was sent. /hi wəz sent/ → /hi wəs sent/;

•  /v/ = /f/ in:

- We’ve found it. /wiv faʊnd ɪt/ →/wif faʊnd ɪt;
- of course/, /əv kɔ:s/ → /əf kɔ:s/,

Coalescence
•  Occurs when an alveolar consonant (/t,d,s,z/)
is followed by a palatal /j/, e.g.

1. /t/ = /j/ = /tʃ/
•  Tuesday /tju:zdeɪ/ ➝ /tʃu:zdeɪ/,
•  won’t you /wəʊnt ju/ ➝ /wəʊntʃu/,
•  don’t you /dəʊnt ju/ ➝ /dəʊntʃu/,
•  bet you, not your, etc.

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Coalescence
2. /d/ + /j/ = /ʤ/, e.g.
•  due /dju:/➝ /ʤu:/,
•  would use /wʊd ju:z/ ➝ /wʊʤu:z/,
•  feed you /fi:d ju/ ➝ /fi:ʤu/

•  3. /s/ + /j/ = /ʃ/ (AmE)

•  kiss you /kɪs ju/ ➝ /kɪʃu/

•  4. /z/ + /j/ = /ʒ/ (AmE)

•  as you /æz ju://æʒu:/
•  quiz you /kwɪz ju/ ➝ /kwɪʒu/

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