Types of Pre-Heads

A low pre-head consists of unstressed syllables pronounced at a low pitch, or gradually ascending in pitch towards the head or the nucleus:

But you’ll be home in time for dinner?

A high pre-head consists of unstressed syllables pronounced on a high pitch. A high pre-head gives to the utterance an extremely emotional character and may be regarded as a feature of emphatic speech.

How can you be so obstinate?

Assimilation

Assimilation is a phonetic process by which one sound under the influence of a sound near it acquires some articulation and acoustic likeness to that other sound.

Assimilation results in the appearance of new phonemic variants. Each case of assimilation must be analysed from the following view points:

1. From the point of view of its direction it can be PROGRESSIVE, REGRESSIVE, RECIPROCAL, or DOUBLE.

2. From the point of view of its degree it can be COMPLETE, PARTIAL, INTERMEDIATE.

Directions of Assimilation

Considering its direction it is possible to distinguish 3 types of assimilation: 1. PROGRESSIVE, 2. REGRESSIVE, 3. RECIPROCAL, or DOUBLE.

1. In progressive assimilation the assimilated phoneme is influenced by the preceding one, e. g. space, skate.

2. In regressive assimilation the assimilated phoneme is influenced by the phoneme following it, e. g. tall, newspaper.

3. In reciprocal assimilation the adjacent phonemes influence each other, e. g. train - /t/ becomes post-alveolar and /r/ becomes partially devoiced.

Degrees of Assimilation

Considering its degree assimilation can be classified into: 1. COMPLETE, 2. INTERMEDIATE, 3. PARTIAL.

1. Assimilation is termed complete when the articulation of the assimilated phoneme fully coincides with that of the assimilating one, e. g. Does she? / /.

2. Assimilation is termed intermediate when the assimilated phoneme changes into a certain third phoneme, e. g. hand + kerchief = //.

3. Assimilation is termed partial when the assimilated phoneme acquires only some features similar to those of the assimilating phoneme.

Types of Partial Assimilation

There are 4 types of partial assimilation. It can affect:

1. the place of articulation

2. the work of the vocal cords

3. the lip-position

4. the manner of producing noise

1. Assimilation affecting the place of articulation results in:

1. the dental allophones of the alveolar /t, d, n, l, s, z/ when followed by /, /:

shut the door all the doors eighth

hold the door pass the door sixth

open the door close the door

2. the post-alveolar allophones of the dental /t, d, n, l/ when followed by the post-alveolar /r/:

try, dry, already.

2. Assimilation affecting the work of the vocal cords results in:

1. partially devoiced allophones of /w, l, r, j/ when preceded by /p, t, k, f, /: play, pray, pure, few, threat, friend, quite.

2. looked /k t/, finished / t/, books /k s/, pipes /p s/.

3. Assimilation affecting the lip-position results in labialized allophones of consonants before such phonemes as /w, u:, /: twenty, twice, tall, quick, Moon.

4. Assimilation affecting the manner of producing noise results in:

1. Plosionless allophones of /p b, t d, k g/ (loss of plosion); when they follow one another either within a word or at the junction of words the plosion of the first plosive comes to be suppressed: actor /k t/, Big Ben /g b/, don’t talk /t t/, put down /t d/, eight pounds /t p/.

2. When /p b, t d, k g/ are followed by the fricatives and the affricates their plosion becomes fricative (fricative plosion): past five /t f/, temperate zone /t z/, hot summer /t s/.

3. When /p b, t d, k g/ are followed by /m, n/ their plosion becomes nasal: garden /d n/.

4. When /p b, t d, k g/ are followed by /l/ their plosion becomes lateral: middle /d l/, circle /k l/, good luck /d l/, uncle /k l/, little /t l/.

5. When /p, t, k/ are preceded by /s/ their plosion becomes incomplete: skate /s k/, steak /s t/, space /s p/.