What is the difference between assimilation and dissimilation?

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What is the difference between assimilation and dissimilation?

Assimilation and dissimilation are two processes in phonetics and phonology that involve changes in the pronunciation of sounds.

Assimilation refers to the process in which a sound becomes more similar to a neighboring sound. It occurs when a sound is influenced by a nearby sound and becomes more like it in terms of its articulation or phonetic features. This can happen due to ease of articulation or to make the pronunciation of words more efficient. For example, in the word "impossible," the /n/ sound assimilates to the following /p/ sound, resulting in the pronunciation /ɪmˈpɑsəbəl/ instead of /ɪmˈpɑnsəbəl/.

On the other hand, dissimilation refers to the process in which a sound becomes less similar to a neighboring sound. It occurs when a sound is influenced by a nearby sound and becomes less like it in terms of its articulation or phonetic features. This can happen to avoid confusion or to create a distinction between similar sounds. For example, in the word "library," the /r/ sound dissimilates to the /l/ sound, resulting in the pronunciation /ˈlaɪbrəri/ instead of /ˈraɪbrəri/.

In summary, assimilation involves sounds becoming more similar to neighboring sounds, while dissimilation involves sounds becoming less similar to neighboring sounds. Both processes play a crucial role in shaping the pronunciation of words in various languages.