CH 14

Assimilation: The change of a speech sound to make it more similar to its
neighbours. It is the process by which a speech sound is affected by the surrounding sounds to
make them more similar.
Direction Change
Regressive assimilation: The phoneme that comes first is affected by the one
that comes after it. Example: bright colour /braɪk kΛlə/ light blue /laɪp blu/
Progressive assimilation: The phoneme that comes first affects the one that comes
after it. Example: cats /kæts/ dogs /dɑgz/ voiceless /t/ takes /s/ voiced /g/ takes /z/.
Consonant Change: Place of Articulation
Assimilation of place : one sound changes the place of its articulation to become similar in place to a neighbouring sound
1-The alveolar phonemes /t/, /d/, and /n/ often become bilabials before bilabial consonants /p/, /b/, and /m/.
/t/ becomes /p/ before bilabials might put [maɪppʊt]
/d/ becomes /b/ before bilabials should make [ʃʊbmeɪk]
/n/ becomes /m/ before bilabials ten pens [tem mpenz], ten boys [ tem bɔɪz]

2.The alveolar phonemes t, d, and n become velars before the velar sounds k, g, and ŋ.
/t/ becomes /k/ before /k/ and /g/ might come [mʌɪkʌm]
/d/ becomes /g/ before /k/ and /g/ should come [ʃʊgkʌm]
/n/ becomes /ŋ/ before /k/ and /g/ one cup [wʌŋkʌp], ten gs ] teŋ geɪmz]
3-Alveolar /t/,/d ,/n/ become dentalised when they come before the dentals /θ/ and /ð/
/t/ becomes [t̪ ] cut through [kʌt̪ θru] , get them [ get̪ ðem]
/d/ becomes [d̪ ] old thought [əʊld̪ θɔ:t], read these [ ri:d̪ ði:z]
/n/ becomes [n̪ ] ten themes [ ten̪ θi:mz] , in the [ ɪn̪ ðə]
We found this lovely little cheese shop in Paris.

4-Alveolar/ s/ and /z/ become palato-alveolar/ ʃ/ and /ʒ/ when they come before/ ʃ/ and /ʒ/
/s/ becomes /ʃ/ before /ʃ/ nice shoes [naɪʃ ʃuz]
I really love this shiny one over here.
• Consonant Change: Assimilation of Voice
• Assimilation of voice involves the devoicing of a phoneme in certain places . If we examine
the pronunciation of the voiced labio-dental fricative in the sequence 'give books' /gɪv bʊks/,
and we compare it with the sequence 'give peace' /gɪf piːs/ we will notice that in the first
case /v/ is fully voiced, in the second it is pronounced as some kind of /f/.Here are some
examples of assimilation of voice:
•1-Some expressions of two words when the last consonant is voiced and the initial of the next
word is voiceless [Voice + Voiceless = devoiced]
•Have to [hæv tu] to [hæf tu] Has to [hæz tu] to [hæs tu] Used to[ju:zd tu] to [ju:s tu]
•2- suffix -s pronunciation: cats /kæts/ (plural -s is pronounced /s/ because it comes after the
voiceless /t/ . Dogs / dᴅgz/ (plural -s is pronounced /z/ because it comes after the voiced /g/.
•3- suffix -ed pronunciation: stopped /stopt/ (past –ed suffix is pronounced /t/ because it comes after
the voiceless /t/ . lived / lived/ (past –ed suffix is pronounced /d/ because it comes after the voiced /v/.
•Note: 2 and 3 represent progressive type of assimilation.
Linking: it is the connection of the final sound( vowel or consonant)of one word to the initial sound of the next
word. They are linked together so that they sound like one word.
Types of Linking:
When a word ends with ɪ , i: , eɪ, aɪ, ɔɪ, and the next word starts with a vowel there is a linking glide /j/ . For
example:
Linking /r/:final 'r' in British accent is not pronounced , but in rapid connected speech when a word ends with
'r or 're'' and the following word starts with a vowel, we use linking /r/. e.g. four/fͻ:/ but four eggs /fͻ:r egz/
Intrusive /r/: it is not found in spelling. It is used when a word ends with
ə, 3:, a:, ɔ:, ɪə, eə, ʊə and the next word starts with a vowel.
law and order /lͻ: ∂n ͻ:d∂/ = /lͻ:r ∂n ͻ:d∂/
• Exercise :The following short text, in both regular English and IPA transcription, requires the correct addition of
various aspects of connected speech at the numbered points. For each instance, say whether the indicated place
is (i) ASSIMILATION (of either PLACE, MANNER or VOICE) (ii) ELISION (iii) LINKING or (iv) WEAK-FORMS, and also
indicate what changes need to be made:
‘’The first few days of this year are bound to be plagued by uncertainty in the light of the
Department head’s resignation’’.

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Assimilation: The change of a speech sound to make it more similar to its

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