assimilation

Also known as phonological assimilation

phonological process in linguistics

AI overview

Assimilation is a linguistic process where a sound in a word changes to become more similar to an adjacent sound, making speech smoother and easier to produce. It matters because it's a common pattern across many languages that helps explain how pronunciation naturally evolves and varies.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

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Article

In phonology, assimilation is a sound change in which some phonemes (typically consonants or vowels) change to become more similar to other nearby sounds. This process is common across languages and can happen within a word or between words. For example, in English "handbag" (/ˈhændbæɡ/), the [n] often shifts to [m] in rapid speech, becoming /ˈhæmbæɡ/, because [m] and [b] are both bilabial (produced with both lips), and their places of articulation are similar.

It occurs in normal speech but is more frequent in faster speech. Sometimes the change is accepted as canonical, and can even become recognized in standard spelling: implosion pronounced with [m], composed of in- + -plosion (as in explosion).