Phonetics And Phonology Questions
Assimilation is a phonological process in which a sound becomes more similar to a neighboring sound. It occurs when a sound changes its pronunciation to become more like a nearby sound in terms of its place of articulation, manner of articulation, or voicing.
Assimilation can be classified into different types based on the specific changes that occur. Some common types of assimilation include:
1. Place assimilation: This occurs when a sound changes its place of articulation to match that of a neighboring sound. For example, in the word "impossible," the /n/ sound changes its place of articulation to become /m/ to match the following /p/ sound.
2. Manner assimilation: This happens when a sound changes its manner of articulation to match that of a neighboring sound. For instance, in the word "handbag," the /n/ sound changes its manner of articulation to become a nasal stop /ŋ/ to match the following /g/ sound.
3. Voicing assimilation: This occurs when a sound changes its voicing to match that of a neighboring sound. For example, in the word "dogs," the final /z/ sound changes its voicing to become voiceless /s/ to match the voicelessness of the following /s/ sound.
Assimilation is a common process in language and helps to simplify pronunciation by making sounds more similar to each other. It can occur within a word or across word boundaries, and its occurrence is governed by phonological rules specific to each language.