Assimilation - Revision history

NBlöcher at 16:56, 15 June 2014

2014-06-15T16:56:06Z

Wohlgemuth: /* Link */ corr

2009-02-12T17:39:28Z

Link: corr

Wohlgemuth: + utrecht data

2009-02-11T15:54:12Z

+ utrecht data

Haspelmath at 16:35, 6 September 2008

2008-09-06T16:35:59Z

Witzlack: New page: '''Assimilation''' is a sound change process, when one sound causes another sound to become phonetically more similar to it in some way. Assimilatory changes can be classified according t...

2008-02-10T21:21:13Z

New page: '''Assimilation''' is a sound change process, when one sound causes another sound to become phonetically more similar to it in some way. Assimilatory changes can be classified according t...

New page

'''Assimilation''' is a sound change process, when one sound causes another sound to become phonetically more similar to it in some way.

Assimilatory changes can be classified according to the following dichotomies: partial versus total, progressive versus regressive, contact versus distant.

An assimilation is '''total''' assimilation if the assimilated sound adopts all the phonetic features of another sound and becomes identical to it: Latin ''se'''p'''tem'' 'seven' > Italian ''se'''t'''te''. An assimilation is '''partial''' if the assimilated sound retains at least one of its original phonetic features and adopts only some of the phonetic features of another sound. Thus, Old English ''e'''f'''n'' 'even' > West-Saxon ''e'''m'''n''.

'''Regressive''' (also called anticipatory or right-to-left) assimilation is one in which the sound that undergoes the change (the target) comes earlier in the word than the trigger of assimilation, in other words the change operates backwards: Latin ''se'''p'''tem'' 'seven' > Italian ''se'''t'''te''. In case of '''progressive''' (also known as perseveratory or preservative or lag or left-to-right assimilation) assimilation the trigger comes before the target so that the assimilation operates forwards: Proto-Germantic ''*wul'''n'''o'' 'wool' > Old English ''wul'''l'''''. In rare cases of ''reciprocal assimilation'' there is a mutual influence between the two sounds.

In case of '''contact''' assimilation (also called immediate assimilation) the sound undergoing assimilation and the one causing it are immediately adjacent: Old English ''e'''f'''n'' 'even' > West-Saxon ''e'''m'''n''. In case of '''distant''' assimilation the two sounds are not adjacent: Proto-Indo-European ''*'''p'''enkʷe'' > Latin '''''kʷ'''inkʷe'' (spelled quinque). When distant assimilation applies over an entire word it is called [[harmony]] (e.g. [[vowel harmony]], [[nasal harmony]]).

==References==
* Campbell, Lyle & Mauricio J. Mixco. 2007. A Glossary of Historical Linguistics. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.
* Crowley, Terry. 1997. ''An introduction to historical linguistics'' 3rd ed. Auckland: Oxford University Press.
* Kiparsky, Paul. 2003. The phonological basis of sound change. In ''Handbook of historical linguistics'', ed. by Brian D. Joseph and Richard D. Janda, 313–342. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
* McMahon, April M.S. 1994. Understanding language Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 === Example ===
+In English the [[alveolar]] nasal of the [[prefix]] /in-/ changes to [l] in ''illegal'' (complete convergence) and to [m] in ''input'' (partial convergence). In the latter case the change is from alveolar to [[labial]] under influence of the neighbouring labial segment [p]. When assimilation takes place between two vowels it is more commonly referred to as [[vowel harmony]].
 ===Term properties===
@@ Line 10: / Line 8: @@
 ===Subtypes===
 Assimilatory changes can be classified according to the following dichotomies:
@@ Line 18: / Line 15: @@
 ===Other languages===
-German [[Assimilation (de)]]
+German [[Assimilation (de)]] <br>
 ==References==
@@ Line 27: / Line 24: @@
 === Links ===
 * [http://www2.let.uu.nl/UiL-OTS/Lexicon/zoek.pl?lemma=Assimilation&lemmacode=1046 Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics]
 * [http://www-uilots.let.uu.nl/~audiufon/data/klankaanpassing.html Audiodemonstration]<br />

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 * McMahon, April M.S. 1994. Understanding language Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
-=== Link ===
+=== Links ===
-[http://www2.let.uu.nl/UiL-OTS/Lexicon/zoek.pl?lemma=Assimilation&lemmacode=1046 Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics] [http://www-uilots.let.uu.nl/~audiufon/data/klankaanpassing.html Audiodemonstration]<br />
+* [http://www2.let.uu.nl/UiL-OTS/Lexicon/zoek.pl?lemma=Assimilation&lemmacode=1046 Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics]
 {{dc}}
 [[Category: Diachrony]]
 [[Category: Phonetics and phonology]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Assimilation''' is a [[sound change]] process by which one sound causes another sound to become phonetically more similar to it in some way.
+'''Assimilation''' is a [[sound change]] process by which one (neighboring) [[segment]] causes another [[segment]] to become phonetically more similar to it in some way.
 ===Term properties===
@@ Line 11: / Line 16: @@
 * [[progressive assimilation vs. regressive assimilation]]
 * [[contact assimilation vs. distant assimilation]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 18: / Line 26: @@
 * McMahon, April M.S. 1994. Understanding language Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
-===Other languages===
+=== Link ===
-German [[Assimilation (de)]]
 {{dc}}
 [[Category: Diachrony]]
 [[Category: Phonetics and phonology]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Assimilation''' is a sound change process, when one sound causes another sound to become phonetically more similar to it in some way.
+'''Assimilation''' is a [[sound change]] process by which one sound causes another sound to become phonetically more similar to it in some way.
-Assimilatory changes can be classified according to the following dichotomies: partial versus total, progressive versus regressive, contact versus distant.
+===Term properties===
-An assimilation is '''total''' assimilation if the assimilated sound adopts all the phonetic features of another sound and becomes identical to it: Latin ''se'''p'''tem'' 'seven' > Italian ''se'''t'''te''. An assimilation is '''partial''' if the assimilated sound retains at least one of its original phonetic features and adopts only some of the phonetic features of another sound. Thus, Old English ''e'''f'''n'' 'even' > West-Saxon ''e'''m'''n''.
+===Subtypes===
-'''Regressive''' (also called anticipatory or right-to-left) assimilation is one in which the sound that undergoes the change (the target) comes earlier in the word than the trigger of assimilation, in other words the change operates backwards: Latin ''se'''p'''tem'' 'seven' > Italian ''se'''t'''te''. In case of '''progressive''' (also known as perseveratory or preservative or lag or left-to-right assimilation) assimilation the trigger comes before the target so that the assimilation operates forwards: Proto-Germantic ''*wul'''n'''o'' 'wool' > Old English ''wul'''l'''''. In rare cases of ''reciprocal assimilation'' there is a mutual influence between the two sounds.
+Assimilatory changes can be classified according to the following dichotomies:
-In case of '''contact''' assimilation (also called immediate assimilation) the sound undergoing assimilation and the one causing it are immediately adjacent: Old English ''e'''f'''n'' 'even' > West-Saxon ''e'''m'''n''. In case of '''distant''' assimilation the two sounds are not adjacent: Proto-Indo-European ''*'''p'''enkʷe'' > Latin '''''kʷ'''inkʷe'' (spelled quinque). When distant assimilation applies over an entire word it is called [[harmony]] (e.g. [[vowel harmony]], [[nasal harmony]]).
+* [[partial assimilation vs. total assimilation]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 14: / Line 17: @@
 * Kiparsky, Paul. 2003. The phonological basis of sound change. In ''Handbook of historical linguistics'', ed. by Brian D. Joseph and Richard D. Janda, 313–342. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
 * McMahon, April M.S. 1994. Understanding language Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.