Difference between revisions of "Assimilation"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Haspelmath (talk | contribs) |
Wohlgemuth (talk | contribs) m (+ utrecht data) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | '''Assimilation''' is a [[sound change]] process by which one | + | '''Assimilation''' is a [[sound change]] process by which one (neighboring) [[segment]] causes another [[segment]] to become phonetically more similar to it in some way. |
| + | |||
| + | === 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=== | ===Term properties=== | ||
| Line 11: | Line 16: | ||
* [[progressive assimilation vs. regressive assimilation]] | * [[progressive assimilation vs. regressive assimilation]] | ||
* [[contact assimilation vs. distant assimilation]] | * [[contact assimilation vs. distant assimilation]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Other languages=== | ||
| + | German [[Assimilation (de)]] | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 18: | Line 26: | ||
* McMahon, April M.S. 1994. Understanding language Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. | * McMahon, April M.S. 1994. Understanding language Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. | ||
| − | === | + | === Link === |
| − | + | ||
| + | [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 /> | ||
{{dc}} | {{dc}} | ||
[[Category: Diachrony]] | [[Category: Diachrony]] | ||
[[Category: Phonetics and phonology]] | [[Category: Phonetics and phonology]] | ||
Revision as of 15:54, 11 February 2009
Assimilation is a sound change process by which one (neighboring) segment causes another segment to become phonetically more similar to it in some way.
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
The relational adjective is assimilatory.
Subtypes
Assimilatory changes can be classified according to the following dichotomies:
- partial assimilation vs. total assimilation
- progressive assimilation vs. regressive assimilation
- contact assimilation vs. distant assimilation
Other languages
German Assimilation (de)
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.
