11. Assimilation.

Assimilation – is a process where by adjacent consonants become more common to each other in place or manner of articulation in order to facilitate pronunciation.

It can work in both directions. Thus it can be progressive and regressive (anticipatory). But the regressive is usually assumed to be more common than the progressive.

- Regressive assimilation: this is leftward assimilation; the phone assimilates to a preceding phone.

- Progressive assimilation: this is rightward assimilation; the phone assimilation to a following phone.

Very occasionally two sounds (invariably adjacent) may influence one another in reciprocal assimilation: two sounds that produce a third one. (Ex.: don’t you)

Process of assimilation alters sounds so that they become similar (partial assimilation) or identical (total assimilation) to a neighboring or nearby sound. So, assimilation comes in two types:

- Complete (total) assimilation: one phone becomes identical to another phone.

- Partial assimilation: one phone acquires the same feature as another phone (place, manner, voicing, height, backness, rounding, etc.)

/t/ changes to /p/ before /m/, /b/, /p/ (basket maker, cat burglar, secret police)

/d/ changes to /b/ before /m/, /b/, /p/ (good morning, red bag, gold plate)

/n/ changes to /m/ before /m/, /b/, /p/ (iron man, human being, open prison)

/t/ changes to /k/ before /k/, /g/ (credit card, cut glass)

/d/ changes to /g/ before /k/, /g/ (cold cream, had gone)

/n/ changes to /ŋ/ before /k/, /g/ (tone control, golden gate)

/s/ changes to /ʃ/ before /ʃ/, /j/ (nice shoes, this year)

/z/ changes to /ʒ/ before /ʃ/, /j/ (rose show, wise youngster)

/θ/ changes to /s/ before /s/ (both sides)