Assimilation in Connected Speech: What to Know

Assimilation is one of the three major aspects of connected speech which includes: Elision, Linking, etc. Connected speech refers to the phonological concept that is based on the logic that words are not pronounced in isolation during everyday conversation or use of language. Rather they are used more rapidly in association with other words to communicate easily hence some sounds are mixed or blended with each other to ensure a smooth glide from one to the other in a conversation.

Assimilation, therefore, refers to the process of connected speech that involves the influencing of one of the sounds in a word by a sound from another word. That is, a process whereby a sound  from a word or phoneme influences the phonological realization of the sound of a neighbouring word in the same phonological environment. There are three processes of assimilation namely:

1. Progressive Assimilation

2. Regressive Assimilation

3. Coalescent assimilation

Progressive Assimilation

Progressive Assimilation is a process of assimilation that involves the influencing of a sound by the sound preceding it. In simpler words, it is a process whereby the phonological realization of a sound or phoneme is conditioned or influenced by the sound that appears immediately before it. This process of assimilation is limited to elements of a word hence it is referred to as assimilation in morphemic boundaries—limited to morphemes. You would find these examples familiar because they have to do with Conjugation and Inflection. For example;

When forming the third person singular tense:

a. If the last syllable of the word is a voiceless consonant, then the inflectional bound morpheme (-s) which accounts for the third person singular tense assimilates the voicing of the consonant sound that precedes it to be realized as /s/. For example;

1. Cook + (-s) = Cooks as in /kʊks/

The /k/ sound is a voiceless plosive sound.

2. Laugh + (-s) = Laughs as in /lɑːfs/

The gh sound is pronounced as /f/ which is a voiceless fricative sound.

3. Pat + (-s) = Pata as in /pæts/

The /t/ sound is a voiceless plosive sound.

b. If the last syllable of a word is a voiced consonant sound or a vowel sound, then the inflectional bound morpheme (-s) which accounts for the third person singular tense assimilates the voicing of the consonant sound that precedes it to be realized as /z/. For example;

1. Boil + -s = Boils as in /bɔɪlz/

The dark /l/ is influenced by the vowel sound preceding it which makes it voiced and is also transferred to the (-s) inflectional morpheme.

2. Love + -s = Loves as in /lʌvz/

The /v/ is a voiced fricative sound.

3. Barb + -s = Barbs as in /bɑːbz/ 

The /b/ sound is a voiced plosive sound.

c. If the last syllable of a word is a sibilant sound, that is, any of the hising sounds including /s/, /ʃ/, and /ʧ/, the third person singular tense marker (-es) will be realized as /iz/. For example;

1. Reach + -es = Reaches as in /ˈriːʧɪz/

2. Cross + -es = Crosses as in /ˈkrɒsɪz/

3. Brush + -es = Brushes as in /ˈbrʌʃɪz/

The phonological realization of the inflectional morpheme (-es), is voiced irrespective of the voicelessness of the sibilant sounds.

See: Regressive Assimilation

Related Posts: 

• Linking in Connected Speech
• Elision in Connected Speech