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3.5: Articulatory Processes- Assimilation

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    9644
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    When we speak, we don’t articulate individual segments separate from each other. Our articulators are always moving from the sound they just made to the sound that’s coming up. This means that each speech segment is influenced by the sounds that are near it. When a sound changes some of its properties to be more similar to the nearby sounds, this is known as assimilation.
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    Check Yourself

    1. What articulatory process is at work when the word bank is pronounced as [bæŋk]?

    • Assimilation (Anticipatory / Regressive).
    • Assimilation (Perseveratory / Progressive).

    2. What articulatory process is at work when a child pronounces the word yellow as [lɛloʊ]?

    • Assimilation (Anticipatory / Regressive).
    • Assimilation (Perseveratory / Progressive).

    3. What articulatory process is at work when the word cream is pronounced as [khɹ̥ijm]?

    • Assimilation (Anticipatory / Regressive).
    • Assimilation (Perseveratory / Progressive).
    Answers

    This page titled 3.5: Articulatory Processes- Assimilation is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Catherine Anderson (eCampusOntario) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.