Phonetics

what are assimilation of place, of manner,  and of voicing in English

Assimilation is a fundamental process in linguistics where the sounds within a word or between words change to become more similar to each other. This process can occur in various aspects of speech, including the place of articulation, manner of articulation, and voicing of consonants. In English, assimilation plays a significant role in shaping the pronunciation of words and can be observed in different contexts.

### Assimilation of Place

Assimilation of place refers to the change in the place of articulation of a consonant due to its proximity to another consonant or a vowel. This process is common in English and can occur in various ways.

1. **Place Assimilation in Obstruent Clusters**: In English, the place of articulation of a consonant can change when it appears in a cluster with another consonant. For example, the /t/ in "stop" becomes a /p/ when followed by /p/, as in "stopper" [1].

2. **Place Assimilation Across Word Boundaries**: Place assimilation can also occur across word boundaries. For instance, the /t/ in "good" can become a /d/ when followed by a nasal consonant across a word boundary, as in "good morning" [ɡʊd mɔnɪŋ] → [ɡʊ̃m mɔ̃ːnɪ̃ŋ] [4].

### Assimilation of Manner

Assimilation of manner refers to the change in the manner of articulation of a consonant due to its proximity to another consonant or a vowel. This process is also common in English and can occur in various ways.

1. **Manner Assimilation in Obstruent Clusters**: Similar to place assimilation, manner assimilation can occur within obstruent clusters. For example, the /d/ in "good" can become a nasal /m/ when followed by a nasal consonant across a word boundary, as in "good morning" [ɡʊd mɔnɪŋ] → [ɡʊ̃m mɔ̃ːnɪ̃ŋ] [4].

2. **Manner Assimilation Across Word Boundaries**: Manner assimilation can also occur across word boundaries. For instance, the /v/ in "I have more" can become a nasal /ŋ/ when followed by a nasal consonant across a word boundary, as in "I have more" [aɪ hæv maɪn] → [æ hæ̃m mɔ̃ː] [4].

### Assimilation of Voicing

Assimilation of voicing refers to the change in the voicing of a consonant due to its proximity to another consonant or a vowel. This process is also common in English and can occur in various ways.

1. **Voicing Assimilation in Obstruent Clusters**: Voicing assimilation can occur within obstruent clusters. For example, the /t/ in "stop" can become a voiced /d/ when followed by a voiced consonant, as in "stopper" [1].

2. **Voicing Assimilation Across Word Boundaries**: Voicing assimilation can also occur across word boundaries. For instance, the /t/ in "good" can become a voiced /d/ when followed by a voiced consonant across a word boundary, as in "good morning" [ɡʊd mɔnɪŋ] → [ɡʊ̃d mɔ̃ːnɪ̃ŋ] [4].

In summary, assimilation of place, manner, and voicing are all common processes in English that can occur within obstruent clusters or across word boundaries. These processes play a significant role in shaping the pronunciation of words and can be influenced by various factors such as the proximity of consonants and vowels, the position of consonants within a word, and the context in which words are used.

Citations:

[1] Phonological 'voicing', phonetic voicing, and assimilation in English https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S038800010600091X

[2] Voice assimilation of morphemic -s in the L2 English of L1 French, L1 ... https://journals.openedition.org/anglophonia/3711

[3] [PDF] Transfer of Korean Manner Assimilation to English - S-Space https://s-space.snu.ac.kr/bitstream/10371/90780/1/10.%20Transfer%20of%20Korean%20Manner%20Assimilation%20to%20English.pdf

[4] Assimilation of Manner - SLT info https://www.sltinfo.com/csp101-assimilaton-of-manner/

[5] Chapter 11.8: Assimilation - ALIC – Analyzing Language in Context https://alic.sites.unlv.edu/chapter-11-8-assimilation/

[6] Assimilation of Voice - SLT info https://www.sltinfo.com/csp101-assimilaton-of-voice/

[7] Assimilation of Place - SLT info https://www.sltinfo.com/csp101-assimilaton-of-place/

[8] Nasal place assimilation - Phonology - Case Studies: Catalan https://www.laits.utexas.edu/phonology/catalan/cat_clusters2.html

[9] Phonetics & phonology.. Assimilation of voicing - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VVHVZVss1o

[10] Voice assimilation - Taalportaal - the digital language portal https://taalportaal.org/taalportaal/topic/pid/topic_20150901170010494

[11] [PDF] Assimilation of Consonants in English and Assimilation of the Definite ... https://www.arjonline.org/papers/arjel/v1-i4/3.pdf

[12] Consonant voicing and devoicing - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consonant_voicing_and_devoicing

[13] Assimilation (phonology) - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assimilation_%28phonology%29

[14] Assimilation of /t/, /d/ and /n/ - English Pronunciation https://www.englishpronunciationmadrid.com/connected-speech/linking/assimilation/

[15] 13.2 Assimilation - American English Phonetics http://americanphonetics.ruhosting.nl/course/13-assimilation-elision-and-insertion/13-2assimilation/

[16] [PDF] Assimilation in English Connected Speech https://www.iasj.net/iasj/pdf/49a5290116353f98

[17] Assimilation of Place and Manner | PDF | Speech | Consonant - Scribd https://www.scribd.com/presentation/391917215/Assimilation-of-Place-and-Manner

[18] Assimilation of Manner - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hISkx_7nyxI

[19] [PDF] Place Assimilation - Internet Archive Scholar https://scholar.archive.org/work/g3xn7wl3mffgnne7rd3fngewoi/access/wayback/http:/udel.edu:80/~heinz/classes/2014/861/materials/handouts/Jongho_Jun_handout_by_Iman.pdf