Which term describes the process of causing one sound to become more like an adjacent sound?

Which term describes the process of causing one sound to become more like an adjacent sound?

• A. Assimilation
• B. Elision
• C. Liaison
• D. Juncture

Answer: (A)

Assimilation is the process by which a sound becomes more like an adjacent sound, helping speech flow more smoothly in connected speech. A common example is when the word input is spoken as [ˈɪmpʊt]; the nasal /n/ changes to the bilabial [m] to match the following /p/, so the articulation is easier and quicker. This shows how a sound’s place of articulation can shift to fit its neighbor. Assimilation can also involve voicing, as in the plural form dogs where the s is pronounced as [z] because the preceding sound is voiced, so the overall sequence remains or becomes voiced and easier to pronounce in context. Others are about different processes: elision is the dropping of a sound, liaison is linking sounds across word boundaries in some languages, and juncture deals with the boundary cues like pauses and rhythm rather than changing how sounds relate to each other.

Assimilation is the process by which a sound becomes more like an adjacent sound, helping speech flow more smoothly in connected speech. A common example is when the word input is spoken as [ˈɪmpʊt]; the nasal /n/ changes to the bilabial [m] to match the following /p/, so the articulation is easier and quicker. This shows how a sound’s place of articulation can shift to fit its neighbor.

Assimilation can also involve voicing, as in the plural form dogs where the s is pronounced as [z] because the preceding sound is voiced, so the overall sequence remains or becomes voiced and easier to pronounce in context.

Others are about different processes: elision is the dropping of a sound, liaison is linking sounds across word boundaries in some languages, and juncture deals with the boundary cues like pauses and rhythm rather than changing how sounds relate to each other.