3.4. Assimilation

Assimilation is a process of alteration of speech sounds as a result of which one of the sounds becomes fully or partially similar to the adjoining sound.

Types of assimilation can be distinguished according to:

1) direction,

2) degree of completeness,

3) degree of stability.

Assimilation can affect the place of obstruction and the active organ of speech; the work of the vocal cords; the position of the lips; the position of the soft palate; the manner of the release of plosive consonants.

Direction of Assimilation.

The influence of the neighbouring sounds in English can act in a progressive, regressive or reciprocal (double) direction.

When some articulatory features of the following sound are changed under the influence of the preceding, which remains unchanged, assimilation is called progressive. For example,

1) the pronunciation of the plural suffix -s of nouns depends on the quality of the preceding consonant (as [z] after voiced consonants, [s] after voiceless consonants).

e.g. pens [penz], calls [kLlz], desks [desks], books [bks]

2) Within the words sandwich, grandmother, etc. under the influence of [n] the consonant [d] changes into [n] and then disappears.

e.g. sandwich [ sxnnwidZ]  [ sxnwidZ]

When the following sound influences the articulation of the preceding one assimilation is called regressive. For example, within the word width and in the word combination in them the alveolar [d] and [n] become dental before the interdental [] and [D].

Reciprocal or double assimilation means complex mutual influence of the adjacent sounds. For example, 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].

Degree of Completeness.

According to its degree, assimilation can be complete, incomplete and intermediate. Assimilation is called complete in the case the two adjoining sounds become alike or merge into one. It always takes place when the two sounds differ only in one articulatory feature. We find cases of complete assimilation within words, e.g. cupboard [ kApbqd]  [ kAbqd], and at the word junction in fluent speech, e.g. less shy [ les SaI ]  [ leS SaI].

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 when preceded by the voiceless fortis [p, t, k, s, f, ] within words sweet [swi:t], place [pleIs], try [traI ].

The degree of assimilation is said to be intermediate between complete and incomplete when the assimilated consonant changes into a different sound but does not coincide with the assimilating sound.

e.g. gooseberry [ gzberI], congress [ kONgres].

Degree of Stability.

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.

e.g. orchard (ort + yard) [ Ltjqd]  [LtSqd]

In modern language obligatory assimilations are special allophonic variants characteristic of the natives’ speech. The use of the wrong allophone, though a non-phonemic mistake, amounts to mispronunciation and may be one of the causes of a foreign accent making understanding difficult. For example, a dental allophone of the alveolar [t] should be used when it is followed by interdental [] or [D] as in eighth [eIt].

Besides there are a lot of widely spread but non-obligatory cases of assimilation which can be traced mainly at word boundaries,

e.g. ten minutes [ ten mInIts]  [ tem mInIts]

ten girls [ ten gз:lz]  [ teN gз:lz]

Non-obligatory assimilations are characteristic of fluent or careless speech and should be avoided by public speakers (lecturers, teachers, etc.).

Quality of Adjacent Sounds.

In Modern English it is mainly consonants that are assimilated. When the two adjacent sounds are consonants there occur most striking assimilative changes.

Modification of the Place of Obstruction and the Active Organ of Speech.

Assimilation may take place within a word and also at word boundaries. The following three important cases should be noticed:

a) The alveolar allophones of [t, d, n, l, s, z] are replaced by the dental variants when immediately followed by the interdental [] or [D].

e.g. within words: breadth, tenth;

at word boundaries: Put that down! Read this! on the desk.

b) The post-alveolar [t] and [d] are heard before the post-alveolar sonorant [r].

e.g. within words: trip, true, trunk, dream, drink, dry;

at word boundaries: at rest, would read.

c) The bilabial nasal [m] or the alveolar nasal [n] become labio-dental under the influence of immediately following labio-dental fricatives [f, v].

e.g. within words: triumph, comfort, infant;

at word boundaries: come for me, ten forks.

Changes in the Work of the Vocal Cords (Voicing or Devoicing).

Progressive voicing or devoicing is common in English but is very rare in Russian.

a) The sonorants [m, n, l, w, r, j] are partially devoiced when preceded by voiceless consonants [s, p, t, k, f, , S],

e.g. within words: small, sneer, slow, place, climb, fly, sweep, try, cream, stupid, few.

At word boundaries the sonorants [l, r, w] are slightly devoiced if with the adjacent words they form a phrasal word or a rhythmic group.

e.g. at last, at rest.

b) Contracted forms of the verbs is and has may retain voice or be devoiced depending on the preceding consonants.

e.g. That’s right. [ Dxts raIt]

Jack’s done it. [ Gxks dAn It]

Bob’s gone out. [ bObz gOn aut]

c) The assimilative voicing or devoicing of the possessive suffix -’s or -s’, the plural suffix -(e)s of nouns and the third person singular present indefinite of verbs depends on the quality of the preceding consonant. These suffixes are pronounced as:

[z] after all voiced consonants except [z] and [Z] and after all vowel sounds,

e.g. girls [gз:lz], reads [ri:dz];

[s] after all voiceless consonants except [s] and [S],

e.g. Jack’s [dZxks], books [bks], writes [raIts];

a separate syllable [Iz] after [s, z] or [S, Z],

e.g. George’s [ dLGIz], dishes [ dISIz], washes [ wOSIz], boxes [ bOksIz].

d) The assimilative voicing or devoicing of the suffix -ed of regular verbs also depends on the quality of the preceding consonant. The ending -ed is pronounced as:

[d] after all voiced consonants except [d] and after all vowel sounds,

e.g. lived [lIvd], played [pleId];

[t] after all voiceless consonants except [t],

e.g. worked [wз:kt];

a separate syllable [Id] after [d, t],

e.g. expected [IkspektId], intended [IntendId].

In English regressive voicing or devoicing is found only in a few cases of historical assimilation within a compound word when the semantic independence of the first component is lost.

e.g. fivepence [ faIfpqns], cf. five [faIv]

gooseberry [ guzbqrI], cf. goose [gu:s]

Regressive voicing or devoicing may also take place in closely connected pairs of words.

e.g. I have to [aI hxft]

She has to [SI hxѕt]

I used to [aI ju:stt]

Does she [ dAS SJ]

In English word sequences word final voiced consonants are not fully devoiced under the influence of the immediately following voiceless consonants.

e.g. good chap [ gd tSxp], big case [ bIg keIs]

Neither are the word final voiceless consonants voiced under the influence of the immediately following voiced consonants.

e.g. white dress [ waIt dres], this book [ DIs bk]

Typical mistakes of Russian learners lie in devoicing voiced consonants before voiceless ones and voicing voiceless consonants before voiced ones.

e.g.	correct pronunciation	wrong pronunciation
anecdote	[ xnIkdqut]	[xnIgdqut]
birthday	[ bз:deI]	[ bз:DdeI]
obstinate	[ ObstInIt]	[ OpstInIt]
medicine	[ medsIn]	[ metsIn]
this book	[ DIs bk]	[ DIz bk]
let's go	[ lets gqu]	[ letz gqu]
like that	[ laIk Dxt]	[ laIg Dxt]
this way	[ DIs weI]	[ DIz weI]
what's the time?	[ wOts Dq taIm]	[ wOtz Dq taIm]

Changes in the Lip Position.

Consonants followed by the sonorant [w] change their lip position. They become lip-rounded in anticipation of [w].

e.g. twinkle, quite, swan, language.

Changes in the Position of the Soft Palate.

Nasal consonants may influence the adjacent plosives. Sometimes [d] changes into [n] under the influence of the preceding [n].

e.g. handsome [ hxndsqm]  [ hxnnsqm]  [ hxnsm]

handmade [ hxnnmeId]

Nasalisation affects mainly the alveolar consonants, especially adjacent to the negative [n't], and is characteristic of very rapid speech.

e.g. [d]  [n] She wouldn't do it. [Si wnnt du: It]

[d]  [b]  [m] Good morning. [gb mLnIN]  [gm mLnIN]

Changes in the Manner of the Release of Plosive Consonants.

The main variants are:

1) Incomplete plosion.

In the clusters of two plosives [pp, pb, bb, bp, tt, td, dd, dt, ttS, dG, dC, kk, kg, gg, gk] where the plosion of the organs of speech is the same for both consonants, there is no separation of the organs of speech between the two plosives. The hold stage is prolonged from the beginning of the first consonant until the release of the second. The effect is that of a single plosive pronounced with very long hold. In such clusters the first stop has no plosion.

e.g. within a word: accommodation, attraction, bookcase

at word boundaries: lamp post, what time, went down, that child, that joke, big cat, good chance

In a cluster of two plosives or of a plosive and an affricate theclosure of the organs of speech for the second plosive is made before the release of the first. So there is only one explosion for the two plosives. The first plosive is incomplete.

e.g. within a word: talked, object, lecture

at word boundaries: good girl, hot bottle

If you do make two explosions in English it will not cause misunderstanding, but it will sound un-English.

2) Nasal plosion.

When a plosive is followed by the syllabic [n] or [m] it has no release of its 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, shipmate, submarine, button, subnormal

at word boundaries: stop moaning, escape noisily, sub man, sob noisily

3) Lateral plosion.

In 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 with lateral plosion.

e.g. please, cattle, black, candle