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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. The word "assimilation" is an example of this phenomenon. This Latin word is composed of the preposition "ad" - to, and the adjective "similis" alike, similar, ad-similatio - assimilatio: [ds>ss] ([d] under the influence of the following [s] was changed to [s]).
The nature of assimilation is determinedly objective physical and physiological conditions. Assimilation exists in every language, but its laws and forms in each language depend on the historically formed articulatory tendencies, typical of every language, and specific phonemic structures.
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 sound, 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: it is pronounced as [z] after voiced consonants, eg pens [penz], calls [kɔ:lz] and as [s] after voiceless consonants, eg desks [desks], books [bʊks].
(2) Within the words sandwich, grandmother, etc under the influence of [n] the consonant [d] changed into [n] and then disappeared, eg sandwich [ˈsænnwɪʤ > ˈsænwɪʤ].
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 [θ] and [ð].
When two adjacent sounds influence each other assimilation is called reciprocal. For example:
in twice [t] is rounded under the influence of [w], [w] is partly divoiced under the influence of the voiceless [t].
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. It always takes place when the two sounds differ only in one articulatory feature. We find cases of complete assimilation within words, eg cupboard ['kʌpbəd > ˈkʌbəd], and at the word junction in fluent speech, eg less shy [ˈlesʃaɪ >'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, 1, r] are partly devoiced when preceded by the voiceless fortis [p, t, k, s, f, θ] within words: sweet [swi:t], place [pleɪs], try [traɪ].
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, eg orchard (ort + yard) - [ˈɔ:tjəd → 'ɔ:ʧəd], sj → ʃ [ˈpresjə → ˈpreʃə], zj → ʒ [ˈmezjə → ˈmeʒə], tj → ʧ [ˈkwestjən → ˈkwesʧən].
Assimilation which occurs in everyday speech in the present-day pronunciation is called living, eg [ˈletju ˈaʊt → ˈleʧu ˈaʊt]
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 [θ] or [ð] as in eighth [eɪtθ].
Besides there are a lot of widely spread but non-obligatory cases of assimilation which can be traced mainly at word boundaries, eg
ten minutes [ˈtenˈmɪnɪts > ˈtemˈmɪnɪts], ten girls ['tenˈɡɜ:lz > ˈtеŋˈɡɜ:lz].
Non-obligatory assimilations are characteristic of fluent or careless speech and should be avoided by public speakers (lecturers, teachers, etc).
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