Degrees of assimilation.

Assimilation may be of three degrees: complete, partial, intermediate.

Assimilation is said to be complete when the articulation of the assimilated consonant fully coincides with articulation of the assimilating one.

E.g.: horse-shoe [hɔs su:]

Assimilation is said to be partial when the assimilated consonant retains its main phonemic features and becomes only partly similar in some feature of its articulation to the assimilating sound.

E.g.: the alveolar variants of the consonants [t],[d],[n],[l],[s],[z] are replaced to the dental under the influence of the consonants [θ],[ð]; the main phonetic features of the former are retained but their point of articulation is changed.

The degree of assimilation is said to be intermediate between complete and partial when the assimilated consonant changes into a different sound but does not coincide with the assimilating consonant.

E.g.: congress [kaηgres], where [n] is replaced by [η] under the influence of [g].

C. Assimilation may be of three types: progressive, regressive, double.

We concern the follow directions:

In progressive assimilation the assimilated consonant is influenced by the preceding consonant.

This can be presented by the formula A→B, where A is the assimilating consonant and B the assimilated consonant.

E.g.: place the fully voiced variant of the consonant phoneme [l] is assimilated to [p] and is replaced by a partly devoiced variant of the same phoneme.

In regressiveassimilation the preceding consonant is influenced by the one following it.

E.g.: the voiced consonant [z] in news [nju:z] is replaced by the voiceless consonant [s] in the compound word newspaper [nju:speipə] under the influence of the voiceless sound [p].

In horse-shoe [hɔ:∫∫u:] [s] in horse [hɔ:s] was replaced by the [∫] and become fully assimilated to [∫] in shoe [∫u:]

In double assimilation two adjacent consonants influence each other.

E.g.:twenty [twenti], quick [kwik] the sonorant [w] is assimilated to the voiceless plosive consonants [t] and [k] becoming partly devoiced. In their turn, [t], [k] are assimilated to [w] and are represented by their labialized variants.

In rapid colloquial speech one more of double assimilation may take place in some close-knit groups.

E.g.: in the phrases don’t you can’t you [t] is immediately followed by [j] and influences on it thus [j] changes into [t∫].

As a result [dj] is replaced by [d∫]:

don’t you [doʊnt jʊ ] - [doʊnt ∫ʊ]

can’t you [kɑ:nt jʊ] - kɑ:nt ∫ʊ]

E.g.: When [j] is preceded by [d] the former disappears giving [d] tongue-front coarticulation. As a result [dj] is replaced by [dʒ].

did you [did jʊ][didʒʊ]

could you [kʊd ju][kʊdʒu]

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