domingo, 11 de noviembre de 2012

Assimilation

Traducción e Interpretación Ingles - Español

Assimilation  


Definitions:

 Assimilation

When we find a phoneme realized differently as a result of being near some other phoneme belonging to a neighbouring word we call this an instance of assimilation.  (Roach. P. 1998. English Phonetics and Phonology.  Cambridge University Press).

                        Assimilation

If speech is thought of as a string of sounds linked together, assimilation is what happens to a sound when it is influenced by one of its neighbours. For example, the word ‘this’ has the sound s at the end if it is pronounced on its own, but when followed by ʃ in a word such as ‘shop’ it often changes in rapid speech (through assimilation) to ʃ, giving the pronunciation ði ʃ ʃ p.  (Roach. P. 1998. English Phonetics and Phonology, Glossary. Cambridge University Press).


 Assimilation according M. Luisa Lecumberri

Assimilation is the process by which two (or more) sounds become more similar to each other. This similarity is achieved by one of the sounds taking characteristics from the other one. Assimilations may be classified according to the direction in which the borrowing of characteristics is affected. Thus. For two adjacent sounds, if a sound takes features from the sound following it we talk about regressive or anticipatory assimilation since the features from the sound preceding it, we talk about regressive or anticipatory assimilation since the features “move” backwards or are anticipated, as it were: A>B. when a sound takes features from the sound preceding it, we talk about progressive or perseverative assimilation since the features move forward A<B they persevere into the following sound.

  There is a related process known as coalescence which is often described as a type of assimilation. In coalescence two sounds merge into one sound which shares characteristics from the two original ones. In this since it is a kind of bi-directional assimilation.

   Assimilation may also be classified according to the type of feature which is borrowed. In English most connected speech assimilations involve place of articulation features, although there are also a few cases of voice assimilations.

  Place of assimilation in English involves alveolar stops which change their place of articulation to bilabial or velar depending on the surrounding sound, or alveolar fricatives which may change their place of articulation to post-alveolar when followed by a post-alveolar or palatal consonant. We will study three different types of place assimilation in English which are classified according to the type of sounds which undergo the process: alveolar stops, alveolar fricatives and alveolar syllabic nasals.


Assimilation of Place of Articulation

The most common form involves the movement of place of articulation of the alveolar stops /t/, /d/ and /n/ to a position closer to that of the following sound. For instance, in the phrase ten cars, the /n/ will usually be articulated in a velar position, /teŋ kɑ:z/ so that the organs of speech are ready to produce the following velar sound /k/. Similarly, in ten  boys the /n/ will be produced in a bilabial position, /tem bɔɪz/ to prepare for the articulation of the bilabial /b/.
   
BEFORE A VELAR (/k/, /g/)
Phoneme
Realised as
Example

/n/
/ŋ/
bank /bæŋk/

/d/
/g/
good girl /gʊg gɜ:l/

/t/
/k/
that kid /ðæk kɪd/


BEFORE A BILABIAL (/m/, /b/, /p/)
Phoneme
Realised as
Example

/n/
/m/
ten men /tem 'men/

/d/
/b/
bad boys        /bæb ˈbɔɪz/

/t/
/p/
hot mushrooms /ˈhɒp ˈmʌʃru:mz/



Alveolar stop regressive place assimilation
The alveolar stops /t d n/ may become bilabial when followed by bilabial consonants (/p b m/) or they may become velar stops when followed by velars (/k g/) without altering their voicing. Thus /t/ may become /p/ or /k/.  /d/ may become /b/ or /g/ and /n/ may become /m/ or /ŋ/.

Examples:
 That man     / ðæt mæn/ > /ðæp mæn/
 That car       /  ðæt kɑ:/ > /ðæk kɑ:/
  Bad boy      /bæd bɔɪ >  /bæb bɔɪ/
  Bad girl       /bæd gɜ:l/ >  /bæg gɜ:l/
  Ten pens     /ten penz/  > tem penz/
  Ten keys     /ten ki:z/   > /teŋ ki:z/  


This process can also affect an entire sequence of two ot three alveolar stops, so that /nt/. For example, can become /mp/ or /ŋk /. It is extremely unlikely that only the last of a sequence of alveolar stops will be assimilated. If one is affected. They all will be affected.
Examples:
Front garden   /frʌnt  gɑ:dn/ > /frʌŋk gɑ:dn/
Couldn`t be    /kʊdnt bi/ > /kʊbmp bi/

Notice that since the alveolar plosives may often be deleted. As we saw in the previous lesson. There will be quite a lot of intances in which an alveolar plosive may either be deleted or it may assimilate to the following sound. For example:

Couldn`t be   /kʊdnt bi/ > /kʊbmp bi/
Cold cream    /kəʊld kri:m/ >  / kəʊl kri:m/

  As you can see, in “couldn`t be”. Previous alveolars assimilate both when /t/ is deleted and when it suffers assimilation too. We will mention these cases with alternative possible processes in the transcription comments.


Alveolar fricative regressive place assimilation
The alveolar fricatives /s z/ may become post-alveolar fricatives without altering their voicing when followed by a palatal approximant (/j/) or a post-alveolar fricative (/ʃ ʒ/). thus /s/ may become / ʃ/ and /z/ may become /ʒ/.

Examples:
Is she     / ɪz  ʃi/ >  /ɪʒ  ʃi
Dress shop   /dres ʃɒp/ > /dreʃ  ʃɒp/

In RP English the alveolar fricatives do not become post-alveolar by assimilation when the following sound is a post-alveolar affricate (/tʃ dʒ/). But in other accents of English such assimilations are possible.


Alveolar syllabic nasal progressive place assimilation
The alveolar syllabic nasal n may become bilabial (/m/) or velar (/ŋ/) when preceded by a bilabial or velar plosive in the same word and followed by a consonant in the same or the next word or by a pause.

Examples:
Open   /əʊpən/ > /əʊpn/ > / əʊpm/
Bacon  /beɪkən/ > /beɪkn/ > /beɪkŋ/


Coalescence
The alveolar plosives /t/ and /d/ may merge with a following palatal approximant /j/ to become post-alveolar affricates (/t ʃ/ and /dʒ/ respectively). This type of coalescence. Although historically found within a word, is only common in current RP English when the plosive and approximant are in different words and the approximant is in a grammatical word.

Examples:
Don`t you   /dəʊnt ju/ > / dəʊntʃu/
Would you   /wʊd ju/  >  /wʊdʒu/

Voice assimilation
In current English. Voice assimilation is not very common as a connected speech process and is restricted to some close-knit structures, such as have to and of course, in these cases assimilation is regressive and feature which is borrowed is voicelessness. Thus /v/ becomes /f/ because the following sound, /t/ or /k/, is voiceless . this sort of voicing assimilation only effects /v/ and /z/.Assimilation of voiceless to voiced sounds does not occur in present day RP English

Examples:
Have to          /hæv tu/ > /hæf tu/
Of course      /əv kɔ:s/  > /əf kɔ:s/
Newspaper   /nju:zpeɪpə/  > /nju:speɪpə/

 More examples:
  1. / t / changes to / p / before / m / / b / or / p /
  2. / d / changes to / b / before / m / / b / or / p /
  3. / n / changes to / m / before / m / / b / or / p /
  4. / t / changes to / k / before / k / or /g/
  5. / d / changes to / g / before / k / or / g /
  6. / n / changes to /ŋ/ before / k / or / g /
  7. / s / changes to /ʃ/ before /ʃ/ or / j /
  8. / z / changes to /ʒ/ before /ʃ/ or / j /
  9. /θ/ changes to / s / before / s /

Conclusion

After this study we have conclude the following:

  • That assimilation is the process by which two (or more) sounds become more similar to each other.
  • That phenomenon is usual in rapid natural speech  and it is a result of coarticulation (same organs)
  • Even though it affects vowel sounds as well, the effect is better apreciated among consonants.
  • And this process may be classified according to the direction in which the borrowing of characteristics is affected. According to this we can talk about regressive or progressive assimilation.
  • Assimilation may also be classified according to the type of feature which is borrowed.
  • Another type of assimilation is a related process known as coalescence.
  • We also learnt that place of assimilation in English involves alveolar stops which change their place of articulation to bilabial or velar depending on the surrounding sound, or alveolar fricatives which may change their place of articulation to post-alveolar when followed by a post-alveolar or palatal consonant.
  • Among others, assimilation varies according to speaker rate and style.



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