Assimilation is a linguistic phenomenon

In linguistics, assimilation and dissimilation are phonological terms. By them we mean the process of likening or disintegrating sounds that are in the neighborhood. That is, these concepts are completely opposite in meaning.

Assimilation - this is a linguistic phenomenon in the Russian language, when within a single word or a combination of their sounds are similar to each other. It has several causes of appearance. The main reason on which assimilation arises is the coherence of the articulation of neighboring sounds. As a result of such proximity, some of them acquire the properties of others. Assimilation is a phenomenon that has several manifestations. As a rule, several types are distinguished:

1) Accommodation. This is when the movement of the speech apparatus, when pronouncing one sound, adapts to the articulation of the other. This often happens with the consonant consonants. These are sounds, pronouncing which the person directs the tip of the tongue up. For example, in the word "joke", "t" adapts to "sh" when pronounced.

2) Coarciculation. It manifests itself as a mutual influence of sounds standing in the neighborhood. For example, what happens to the consonant who faces the vowels "o" or "y"? It is ruined, since the movements necessary for the utterance of two neighboring sounds are made simultaneously.

3) Assimilation itself. This is a phenomenon where sounds located close to or in the neighborhood are likened to such an extent that they cause a change in the phonemic composition of a particular word. We can consider it a consequence of the two previous processes, since it has more visible results.

However, it would be wrong to consider assimilation only from the point of view of physiology. The fact is that from the positions of articulation there are always two, and not one, only variant of pronunciation. For example, you can take the word "expand". It is pronounced as pure (pa), and pa (shsh).

Depending on what kind of sound from the two matching is likened, distinguish:

Regressive assimilation. In this case, the second sound is positionally stronger, and the first sound is articulately similar to it. This kind of assimilation in Russian speech is very common. For example, in the word "fairy tale" the sound "z" becomes deaf after "k";

Progressive assimilation. In this case, the first sound is stronger, and the subsequent one is likened to it. In Russian, this phenomenon does not occur.

Assimilation can also be partial and complete. It depends on the results of the assimilation. If the sounds that are connected in a word combination or in a word differ from each other only by one characteristic, then their complete assimilation takes place. For example, in the word "give", the sounds "t" and "d" differ only in terms of voicedness and deafness, so "t" is completely similar to "d" and the word is pronounced "o (dd)." If there are differences for some other properties, then assimilation is only partially accomplished. For example, in the word "beat off" the sounds "d" and "t" differ not only in voiced voicelessness, but also in hardness-softness, in the features of the movement of the speech apparatus when they are pronounced.

Assimilation in English has its own characteristics. In it, it is manifested not so much by the loss of sounds or by their assimilation, as by the change in the place in which the barrier is formed. For example, consonants "s, z, n, t", whose pronunciation is performed on the alveoli, before some other consonants move to the tooth gap. This simplifies the utterance of the preceding sounds.

It is clear that assimilation is a process that has a phonetic nature. That is why, over time, it causes a different degree of shifts in phonology. The presence of assimilation in the word or its absence leads to the fact that the same sounds in it can have different signs.