ASSIMILATION

• Progressive: the preceding sound affects the following sound (x→y);

• Regressive: the following sound affects the preceding sound (x←y);

• Reciprocal: both neighboring sounds affect each other (x⇆y).

1. Assimilation of English consonants affecting their manner of articulation:

a. stops (plosives):

• affrication of English syllable-initial stops when they take the position before sonorants: the gradual release of closure is accompanied by plosion immediately followed by friction (/tr/, /dr/, /pl/, /pj/, /tw/, /tj/, /kl/, /kr/, kw/, /kj/),

• nasal release: in a stop + /n/ or /m/ cluster the stop assimilates to the nasal release - the soft palate is lowered and the air escapes through the nose (/kɒtn/, /gʊd naɪt/)

• lateral release: in a stop + /l/ cluster the stop assimilates to the lateral release - the air escapes along one or both sides of the tongue (/lɪtl/, /ni:dləs/),

• no release: in a stop + stop cluster there is no release phase of the first plosive or the closure phase of the second, and the hold phase of the first is prolonged into the hold phase of the second (/næpkɪn/, /help pi:pl/);

b. English/r/: - retroflex, post-alveolar (ray, parade),

- devoiced fricative obstruent (trip, cream),

- alveolar flap (through, three);

2. Assimilation of English consonants affecting their place of articulation:

alveolars: /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /n/, /l/:

• dentalised alveolars: English alveolars, when in the position before dentals /θ/, /ð/, assimilate to their place of articulation and become dental (tenth, wealth),

• labialised alveolars: alveolars, when followed by /w/ and /u:/, assimilate to the following sound, taking on lip rounding (twice, do),

• retracted alveolars: alveolars, when followed by post-alveolars /r/, /∫/, /t∫/,/dʒ/, are pronounced in the post-alveolar region,

3. Assimilation of English consonants affecting the work of the vocal cords:

• progressive voicing (dogs /dɒgz/, leads /li:dz/),

• progressive devoicing (voiceless stops followed by sonorants: /twenty/, /tru:/).

4. Absence of assimilation:

• clusters of alveolar and labio-dental fricatives with dental fricatives (/s-θ/, /z-ð/, /s-ð/, /z-θ/, /ð-z/, /θ-s/, /v-ð/, /f-θ/ and alveolar fricatives with affricates /s-tʃ/, /z-dʒ/: no assimilation affecting the place or manner of articulation;

• clusters of voiced and voiceless or voiceless and voiced consonants: no assimilation affecting the work of the vocal cords (/æbsənt/, /dɪsdeɪn/).

ASSIMILATION IN FAST CONNECTED SPEECH

• complete assimilation: alveolars /n/, /d/, /t/ can completely assimilate their place of articulation to the following sounds /m/, /p/, /b/ or /ŋ/, /k/, /g/ (/ten boɪz→tem boɪz/, /ten gз:lz→teŋ gз:lz/).

ELISION

• consonants /t/, /d/ can be left out within a word (sandwich, friendship).

ELISION IN FAST CONNECTED SPEECH

1. Leaving out consonant /t/ before a word beginning with a consonant except /h/(it kept still, she's left-handed); when the final consonant cluster is /skt/, /k/ is left out before a vowel and /h/ (I asked Ann) and both /k/ and /t/ are left out before a consonant (He risked losing);

2. Leaving out consonant /d/ before a word beginning with a consonant except /h/, /l/, /w/, /r/, /s/ (an old car);

3. Leaving out consonant /h/ at the beginning of unstressed pronouns, auxiliary verbs and question words (ask him, John has left, the person who did it…);

4. Leaving out /l/ after /ɔ:/ (almost, always);

5. Leaving out /d/ in and and /v/ in of (before a consonant)(red and blue, Adam and Eve, a bottle of water).

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