Phonetic Processes (ch. 13)
A. Assimilation: A phonetic process by which one speech sound
comes to resemble or become identical with a neighboring sound
between words or within a word. For example, in words like
letter, butter, there is a tendency to to voice /t/ as /d/.
Exercise: Transcribe the following words. Underline the voice
assimilation to neighboring sounds.
1. letter, bottle, forty
2. south, southern
3. it, it is
4. cup, cupboard
5. shut, shut up
B. Metathesis : a transposition of speech sound. For example: if a
person says tradegy instead of tragedy. Metathesis has been
responsible for changing pronunciations and spelling. As
examples, look up the etymology of these words: bird, third,
grass, dirt.
C. Epenthesis: the insertion of an extra consonant within a word,
such as the /p/ in something or /t/ in sense.
- after /m/ , the sound /p/ may occur before voiceless consonant
/t/,/f/,/s/,/ɵ /, /ʃ / .
Exercise: Find the etymology of these words: glimpse, empty,
Samson, comfort, combat, warmth, warmly, Tomkins.
D. Epithesis: the addition of an extra consonant to the end of a
word. It occurs after a final /n/ or /s/.
Exercise: find the etymology of these words: lend, bound,
against, midst, amongst.
E. Syncope: the loss of sound at the middle of a word.
F. Apocope: the loss of sound at the end of a word.
Often, the loss of sound occurs in unstressed syllables, and
frequently involves a vowel next to /r/.
Exercise: Transcribe the following words. Identify the syncope or
apocope in the pronunciation.
Interest, corporal, government, laboratory.