ASSIMILATION (CHANGE)

WHAT IS ASSIMILATION?
Assimilation is when one sound is influenced and changed by a neighbouring sound. Generally speaking, there are three types of assimilation that can be identified; assimilation of place, manner or voice

TYPES OF ASSIMILATION
Assimilation of place Assimilation of manner Assimilation of manner

Assimilation of place
Assimilation of place can be demonstrated by /ratbag/ or /oatmeal/ where the /t/ sound is replaced by a /p/ sound. This is because the alveolar plosive /t/ is simplified into the /p/ sound which is closer to the bilabial plosive /b/.

Assimilation of manner
Assimilation of manner refers to when two different manners of articulation influence each other to form a different type of manner of articulation. Examples of this are the pronunciation of /indian/ as /injun/ or the pronunciation of /soldier/. This is because the plosive /d/ combines with the approximant /j/ to form an affricate.

Assimilation of manner
Assimilation of voice is illustrated by the pronunciation of /have to/ with an /f/ sound rather than the /v/ as the voiced fricative is followed by a voiceless consonant.

THE REASON FOR ASSIMILATION

The reason for assimilation is because the tongue cannot always move quickly enough to get from one position to another in order to articulate the next sound, or because the mouth is to busy anticipating the following sound. In either case, it approximates the sound before moving on to the next segment of sound. This approximation is assimilation.

Examples of Assimilation
When a /t/ is followed by a /b/ or a /p/, it usually changes into a /p/ sound.
that person that boy light blue

Examples of Assimilation
When a /d/ is followed by a /b/ or a /p/, it usually changes into a /b/ sound.
good boy good practice

Examples of Assimilation
/tj/ and /dj/ are often assimilated in natural speech to the
for tune for dew

Examples of Assimilation
affects any /s/ or /z/ that comes before

it.
this shoe for those shoes