Phonetic assimilation . Typical phonetic change process by which the pronunciation of one segment of a language is accommodated to that of another, in the same word (or in the limit of the same), thus causing a change in its sound.
Summary
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- 1 Definition
- 1 Different types of assimilation
- 2 Differences between assimilation
- 3 Examples of phonological processes
- 4 Types of phonological processes
- 2 Sources
- 3 External links
Definition
Phenomenon that occurs when a sound in the spoken chain adopts some feature of another nearby sound that influences it. This is what happens, for example, when we pronounce the sequence see you later as [atta luégo] .
The pronunciation that we indicate in the example can be given in a relaxed and colloquial articulation, but in addition to that it is characteristic of some varieties of Spanish.
Different types of assimilation
If we pay attention to the distance between the sounds, we can establish a first difference between assimilation by contact and assimilation at a distance.
- Assimilation by contact is that which occurs between sounds that are contiguous in the spoken chain. This type of assimilation occurs very frequently in the pronunciation of Spanish. For example, ese is normally pronounced deaf in our language. This means that there is no vibration of the vocal cords. However, when it is followed by a voiced consonant, it catches the voicing of it. Voiced here means that it is pronounced with vibration of the vocal cords. You can perceive it by doing a test. Narrow your neck (without going over, of course) between thumb and forefinger, and then pronounce these words:
- (1) to: In (1) you will notice that there is no vibration in the center of the word, in the segments that coincide with the consonants.
- (2) trait: In (2), however, you will feel that there is vibration in the whole word. This occurs because the sound [g]passes the sonority feature to the one that precedes it by contact.
- Assimilation at a distance, on the other hand, is that which occurs between sounds that are not directly in contact. This is what happens when we pronounce [tree] instead of [tree]. The indicated pronunciation is sometimes given as a result of a slip of the tongue, although there are also varieties of Spanish in which it is frequent.
Differences between assimilation
- When we look at the direction in which assimilation occurs, we differentiate between regressive assimilation and progressive assimilation.
- Regressive assimilation is the one that goes backwards, that is, it occurs when a sound influences another that precedes it. It is very common in Spanish. The sonorous pronunciation of the feature that, from is an example. The example [albol]mentioned above also fits here .
- Progressive assimilation, on the other hand, is what goes forward. It is, therefore, what occurs when a sound induces changes in any of those that follow it. It is more difficult to find examples in Spanish, but it is not impossible. Look at the word become. The ce sound is interdental (to pronounce it we place the tip of the tongue between the teeth). The te sound, on the other hand, is dental (it is pronounced by resting the tip of the tongue against the inside of the upper incisors). Well, in doing it tends to advance its point of articulation and interdentalize due to the influence of the previous sound.
- According to the scope of the phenomenon, a distinction is made between total assimilation and partial assimilation.
- Total assimilation occurs when one sound becomes an exact replica of another. In Spanish we find it, for example, in the pronunciation of it as [mimmo]. This pronunciation occurs sometimes in colloquial and relaxed speech, but also, in a systematic way, in certain varieties of the language.
- Partial assimilation occurs when only some trait or traits are modified, but without identity being produced. For example, the sound ene is normally alveolar, that is, it is pronounced by resting the tip of the tongue against the alveoli of the upper incisors. However, in width it becomes palatal under the influence of the che sound. Say this word and you will see how the tongue is pressed against the palate.
Assimilation is a very broad phenomenon. He has tried to choose examples from modern-day Spanish to facilitate understanding, but it should be clarified that many words in the current language are the result of historical processes of assimilation from Latin.
Thus, for example, we arrived at our present form dove from the Latin palumba . Along the way there was the total assimilation of the be to the point of being embedded in the em. Assimilation processes are fundamental in linguistic change.
Knowledge of assimilation is not essential to master the pronunciation of the mother tongue, although this can be of great help. On the other hand, it will be essential to descend to these phenomena if we want to bring the pronunciation of a foreign language to a level that is approaching that of the natives.
Examples of phonological processes
- Progressive assimilation: Assimilation from left to right.
A segment adopts characteristics of the segment that precedes it. (esp.) mate / ˈmate / → [ˈmat̪e]
hazte / ˈaθte / → [ˈaθ̟t̪̟e] The dental stop advances its point of articulation and is interdentalized by the effect of the preceding interdental consonant.
- Regressive assimilation: Anticipatory assimilation or assimilation from right to left.
A segment adopts characteristics of the segment that follows it. (esp.) fresh / ˈfɾesko / → [ˈfɾesko]
same / same / → [same]
from / ˈfrom / → [ˈd̪es̬ð̞e]
Voiceless fricative consonants in syllable-final position are voiced when the following consonant is a voiced consonant. (esp.) cansa / ˈkansa / → [ˈkansa]
ante / ˈante / → [ˈan̪t̪e] The alveolar nasal is dentalized by the effect of the next dental consonant.
- Bidirectional assimilation: A segment adopts characteristics of the preceding segment and the following segment.
(esp.) asas / ˈasas / → [ˈasas]
aman / ˈaman / → [ˈamãn] Oral vowels are nasalized by influence of the preceding and following nasal consonants.
- Assimilation at a distance: A segment adopts characteristics of non-adjacent segments.
- Vowel distance assimilation: Vowel harmony: phenomenon by which non-adjacent vowels of the same word must share one or more features.
(Turkish) ‘string’ [ip] – ‘string’ / ip / + / ler / → [ipler]
‘hand’ [el] – ‘hands’ / el / + / ler / → [eller]
‘road’ [jol] – ‘roads’ / jol / + / ler / → [jollar]
‘stamp’ [pul] – ‘stamps’ / pul / + / ler / → [pullar]
The vowel / e / of the plural morpheme is realized as [e] when the vowel of the radical (base, lexeme, lexical morpheme) is anterior and as [a] when the vowel of the radical is posterior. Other families with languages that present vowel harmony in addition to Turkic are, for example, Uralic (Finnish, Hungarian). (central cat.) thing / ˈkɔza / → [ˈkɔzə]
terra / ˈtɛra / → [ˈt̪ɛrə]
(southern Valencian) cosa / ˈkɔza / [ˈkɔzɔ]
terra / ˈtɛra / → [ˈt̪ɛrɛ] The final vowel / a / takes on the timbre of the vowel that precedes it.
- Distance assimilation of consonants: Consonant harmony: phenomenon by which non-adjacent consonants of the same word must share one or more features.
(sidamo) dirr-is ‘bring down’
hank’-is ‘make angry’
raˀ-is ‘make cook’
miʃ-iʃ ‘make despise’
ʃalak-iʃ ‘make slip’
tʃ’uf-iʃ ‘make close’ The causative suffix / -is / is realized as / iʃ / when in the preceding stem (base, lexeme, lexical morpheme) either a postalveolar fricative or a postalveolar affricate appears.
- Loudness assimilation: A segment adopts the loudness of an adjacent segment.
- Voicing: Phenomenon by which a muffled sound acquires a certain degree of loudness due to contact with a sound sound.
Types of phonological processes
There are different types of phonological processes, among them are:
- Phonetic representation, phonological representation and phonological rules
- Phonological processes
- Assimilation processes: A segment adopts characteristics of another segment.
- Direction and scope of assimilation
- Progressive assimilation
- Regressive assimilation
- Bidirectional assimilation
- Assimilation at a distance
- Loudness assimilation
- Sound
- Deafening
- Articulation mode assimilation
- Nasalization
- Assimilation of place of articulation
- Labialization
- Palatalization
- Velarization
- Assimilation processes in diachrony
- Dissimilation
- Direction and scope of assimilation
- Processes that affect syllabic structure
- Elision
- Consonant elision
- Vowel elision
- Elision processes in diachrony
- Epenthesis
- Consonant epenthesis
- Vowel epenthesis
- Processes of epenthesis in diachrony
- Coalescence or fusion
- Consonant coalescence
- Vowel coalescence
- Vowel and consonant coalescence
- Major class changes
- Change from vowel to paravocal
- Elision
