The types and kinds of assimilation in English

Introduction

Assimilation is an everyday occurrence in every human language, and it is particularly common for nasal sounds. Thus, sounds in the environment of other sounds, across morpheme and word boundaries tend to undergo various phonological changes referred toas phonological processes.Making a sound more like another in the same or next word in continuous utterance is called assimilation (Oxford Dictionary, 2008).Assimilation usually occurs because two sounds share common features in place or manner. Thus, assimilation of consonants occurs when a consonant takes on features of another one. It is, however, believed that assimilation varies in extent according to speaking rate and style; it is more likely to be found in rapid, casual speech and less likely in slow, careful speech. Moreover, it occurs either across word boundaries or within a word. This paper aims at discussing the term assimilation. This paper is going to discuss the concept, the manners, types, kinds and the importance of assimilation.Definition of the term AssimilationThere are some remarkable differences between the pronunciation of a word in isolation and of the same word in a block of connected speech. These changes are mostly quite regular and predictable. The modification of a consonant under the influence of the adjoining consonant in the flow of speech is known as assimilation. Assimilation is a common phonological process by which the sound of the ending of one word blends into the sound of the beginning of the following word. Assimilation is a process of alteration of speech sounds during which one of the sounds becomes fully or partially similar to the adjoining one. This occurs when the parts of the mouth and vocal cords start to form the beginning sounds of the next word before the last sound has been completed. The word “assimilation” is an example of this phenomenon. The Latin word is composed of the preposition “ad” – to, and the adjective “similis” alike, similar: ad-similatio – assimilation: [d] under the influence of the following [s] was changed to [s].The use of assimilation is often misunderstood as “lazy” or “sloppy” speech. However, it is not true. Assimilation is a universal feature of a spoken language. In English it occurs frequently, both within words and between words; it by no means marks a speaker as inarticulate or nonstandard.Manner of AssimilationThe influence of the neighbouring sounds in English can act in progressive, regressive or reciprocal (double, mutual) direction (according to the direction of assimilation).1. When some articulatory features of the following sound are changed under the influence of the preceding sound, which remains unchanged, assimilation is called progressive.e.g. The pronunciation of the plural suffix –s of nouns depends on the quality of a preceding consonant: it is pronounced as [z] after voiced consonants (pens [penz], calls [kO:lz]) and as [s] after voiceless consonants (desks [desks], books [bVks])Within the words sandwich, grandmother, etc under the influence of [n] the consonant [d] changed into [n] and then disappeared(sandwich ['sxnnwIdZ →'sxnwIdZ])2. When the following sounds influences the articulation of the preceding one assimilation is called regressive.e.g. Within the word width and in the word combination in them, the alveolar [d] and [n] become dental before the interdental [T] and [D].3. Reciprocal (mutual, double) assimilation means complex mutual influence of the adjacent sounds.e.g. Within the word tree [tri:] the sonorant [r] is partly devoiced under the influence of the voiceless [t] and the alveolar [t] becomes [post-alveolar before the post-alveolar [r].Kinds and Types of AssimilationAssimilation has two forms: full assimilation and partial assimilation. When the sound totally adopts another sound, it is called full or complete assimilation. A sound is totally affected by a neighboring sound in which both sounds become one, or become identical. For example, that place / ðæt pleɪs/ becomes / ðæp pleɪs/.It is clear that the /t/ sound is totally, or completely, assimilated to the /p/ sound and becomes identical to the one in the next word.When the sound partially adopts the properties of other sounds, it is called partial or contact assimilation. Assimilation of sounds doesn‟t always occur completely. Sometimes, sounds partially assimilate with the surrounding sounds that the influenced sound acquires some properties from other sounds. In other words, partial assimilation involves just one feature of a segment.It is noticed by A.Ali that most assimilations are partial assimilations in which the assimilated sound becomes only more similar, but not identical, to the influencing sound. Partial assimilation can also refer to another assimilation which is called contact assimilation in which the two sounds involved are directly adjacent. For example, the phrase 'ten bikes' is pronounced as /tembaiks/ instead of /ten baiks/ in colloquial speech. Here, the alveolar sound /n/ changes to /m/ which is a bilabial sound under the influence of/b/ which is also a bilabial‎sound.It is noticed that the differences between consonants are of three types: differences in place of articulation:When a sound changes its place of articulation to another place, it is called assimilation of place. This change of place depends on the place of articulation of the neighboring sounds. Assimilation of place is of three types: alveolar stops, alveolar fricatives and alveolar syllabic nasals.Alveolar Stops Assimilation is a regressive assimilation. Hence, /t/, /d/ and /n/ tend to change their place of articulation to a position nearer to that of the following sound. In other words, alveolar stops /t, d, n/ may become bilabial if followed by bilabial consonants /p, b, m/, or they may become velar stops /k, g/ if they are followed by velars /k, g/.Alveolar Fricatives Assimilation. The alveolar stop /s/ may become post alveolar fricative / ʃ/ as in this shoe (ðɪs ʃuːðɪʃ ʃuː)and /z/ may become /ʒ/ if followed by the palatal approximant /j/ as in those years (ðəʊz jɪəz ðəʊʒ jɪəz).Alveolar Syllabic Nasal Assimilation is a progressive assimilation. Thus, /n/ could become bilabial /m/ when preceded by a bilabial or could become velar /ŋ/ if preceded by a velar plosive in the same word and followed by a consonant in the same or next word or by a pause.differences in manner of articulation:Assimilation of manner refers to two neighboring sounds becoming similar in their manner of articulation. This happens in coalescence when, in connected speech, two adjacent sounds are merged to form a new sound. Additionally, it is usually heard in very rapid speech, or very informal situation and it can be either progressive or regressive. Clear examples of this type are difficult to seek since it involves a change from a stronger consonant to a weaker one.differences in voicing. Assimilation of Voice is difficult to produce a consonant cluster, in many languages including English, with different voicing values for the consonants, particularly if the consonants are obstruent‟s (fricatives or plosives). When two consonants are in the code, they have to agree in voicing either voiced or voiceless. In other words, in a cluster of two consonants differing in voicing, the second consonant has to agree in voicing with the preceding one. Assimilation of voice is of two forms: across morpheme boundaries and across word boundaries.Assimilation of Voice across Morpheme Boundaries is represented in noun plural marker, the possessive and the singular present tense which always agree in voicing with the preceding obstruent consonant (regressive). The value of the voicing feature goes from [+voice] to [–voice] or from [-voice] to [+voice] because of assimilation to the [–+voice] feature of the final consonant of the stem. For examples: dogs /d gz/: /s/ becomes /z/ to agree in voicing with /g/.cats / kæts/: /s/ becomes /s/ to agree in voicing with /t/.killed / kɪld/: /d/ agrees in voicing with /l/.voiced / vɔɪst/: /t/ agrees in voicing with /s/.Assimilation of Voice across Word Boundaries. In English, only regressive assimilation is found across word boundaries and then only when a voiced word final consonant is followed by a voiceless word initial consonant. It is never the case that a word final voiceless consonant becomes voiced because of a word initial voiced consonant. A clear example is the assimilation of the voiced /v/ with the voiceless /t/ in have to /hæv tə/› /hæf tə/.Therefore, when a sound assimilates with another sound, the place, manner and voicing of the resulted new sound change depending on the features of the surrounding sounds.The term accommodation is often used to denote the interchanges of “vowel + consonant” type or “consonant + vowel” type. The manner of articulation is also changed as a result of assimilation, which may be illustrated as follows:English plosives don’t always have a sudden oral release of air. The main variants are:a) Loss of plosionA plosive loses its plosion, if it is followed by another plosive or affricate,e.g. within a word: accommodation, attraction, bookcaseat word boundaries: what time, went down, that child, that jokeb) Nasal plosionWhen a plosive is followed by a the syllabic [n] or [m], it has no release of his own, the so-called nasal plosion is produced. In such sequences the closure for the plosive is made normally, but the release is produced not by a removal of the oral closure, which is retained, but by the lowering of the soft palate, which allows the compressed air to escape through the nasal cavity to form the nasal consonant.e.g. within a word: happen ['hxpn], shipmate ['SIpmeIt]at word boundaries: sob noisily, stop moaningc) Lateral plosionIn the sequences of a plosive immediately followed by [l] the closure produced for the plosive is not released till after [l]. Before [l] the release is made by a sudden lowering of the sides of the tongue, and the air escapes along the sides of the tongue with the lateral plosion.e.g. please, cattle, black, candle.Types of assimilation can be distinguished also according to: Direction of Assimilation. The influence of the neighbouring sounds in English can act in a progressive, regressive or reciprocal (double) direction.1. The pronunciation of the plural suffix –s of nouns depends on the quality of the preceding consonant. E.g. pens, desks.2. Within the words sandwich, grandmother, etc. under the influence of [n] the consonant [d] changed into [n] and then disappeared,E. g sandwich [sænnwɪʤ] ⇒ [ sænwɪʤ]Degree of completeness. According to its degree, assimilation can be complete and incomplete. Assimilation is called complete in the case the two adjoining sounds become alike or merge into one. We find cases of complete assimilation within words, eg cupboard [kʌpbəd] ⇒ [kʌbəd]; and at the word junction in fluent speech, eg less shy [les ʃaɪ] ⇒ [leʃʃaɪ].Assimilation is called incomplete when the likeness of the adjoining sounds is partial as the assimilated sound retains its major articulatory features. For example, the sonorants [w, l, r] are partly devoiced by the voiceless fortis [p, t, k, s, f, θ] within words ‘sweet, place, try’.Degree of Stability. What is discussed previously is called contextual assimilation. It means that the assimilation of consonants is subject to the environment of sounds. However, historical assimilation has taken place in the development of a language. A sound in a word may change to another sound that shares the same place, manner or voicing because of the development of a language. For example, the word 'ant' / ænt/ in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries was pronounced / æmətə/ and later /æmtə/ and /æmt/.Thus, the spelling with /n/ instead of /m/ first appeared in the fifteenth century which clearly indicating the change to the modern pronunciation /ænt/.Many assimilatory phenomena of older stages in the development of the language have become obligatory in modern English; they may, or may not be reflected in spelling. Such changes which have taken place over a period of time within words are called historical,eg ‘orchard’ (ort yard) – [ɔ:tjəd] ⇒ [ɔ:ʧəd].In modern language obligatory assimilations are special allophonic variants characteristic of the natives’ speech. The use of the wrong allophone may be one of the causes of a foreign accent making understanding difficult.There are also a lot of widely spread non-obligatory cases of assimilation which can be traced at word boundaries.Eg ten minutes [tem mɪnɪts]good girls [gʊg gɜ;lz].Non-obligatory assimilations are characteristic of fluent or careless speech and should be avoided by public speakers.When a sound adopts features of another sound, the process of articulation becomes much easier. This idea is confirmed by McMahon and Burleigh. According to them, assimilation involves ease of articulation pressures and it is an important means of making pronunciation easier. Additionally, Eka et al. provide three functions of assimilation: to save time, to anticipate other sounds and to ease articulation. Thus, one can conclude that the importance of assimilation is to make the process of speech easier.ConclusionAssimilation is one of the phonological processes in which a sound undergoes a change based on the phonological environments. It has many types and forms including place, manner, voicing, progressive, regressive, and coalescent that can be either full or partial assimilation. Moreover, assimilation can occur within a word level or within word boundaries. Furthermore, assimilation occurs because of the development of languages, and under the effects of the surrounding sounds. This leads us to say that the major function of assimilation is to ease articulation.ReferencesA.Ali, Z.(2012). A Phonological Study of English and Arabic Assimilation: A Contrastive Study. Journal of College of Languages. (25), 148-172.Burleigh, P. (2011). A Manual of English Phonetics and Phonology. Frankfurt: Gunter NarrVerlag.Eka, D., & Daniel, I., & Egbokhare, F., & Iyere, Th. (2010). Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology of English. Lagos: Nigeria: National Open University of Nigeria.McMahon, A. (2002). An Introduction to English Phonology. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University PressOxford Dictionary. (2008).Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Roach, P. (1998). English Phonetics and Phonology. UK. Cambridge University Press