ASSIMILATION
and
ELISION
By Dr. Cecilia Osyanju
Hello everyone! Today, we're going to explore two important phenomena in English
pronunciation: assimilation and elision.
These are processes that occur naturally in fluent speech and can sometimes make
English sound quite different from how it's written.
By the end of this lecture, you'll have a solid understanding of what assimilation and
elision are, how they work, and why they matter for both listening and speaking in English.
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When we walk, our steps are fluid and
connected, much like how our sounds in
speech flow together.
Opening Analogy:
"When we walk, our steps are fluid and connected, much like how our sounds in speech
flow together."
Compare walking to speaking: Both involve overlapping movements for efficiency and
fluency.
Similarly, in everyday speech, sounds don't occur in isolation but are influenced by
neighboring sounds. This leads to phenomena such as assimilation and elision
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ASSIMILATION
Assimilation is the process where a sound
changes to become more similar to a
neighboring sound in a word or between words.
Part 1: Assimilation (15 minutes)
Definition (1 minute)
Assimilation is the process where a sound changes to become more similar to a
neighboring sound in a word or between words.
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Types of Assimilation
1. Place of Articulation
2. Voicing Assimilation
3. Assimilation of Suffixes
4. Coalescence
Part 1: Assimilation (15 minutes)
Definition
Assimilation is the process where a sound changes to become more similar to a
neighboring sound in a word or between words.
Types of Assimilation:
1) Place of Articulation
2)Voicing Assimilation
3)Assimilation of Suffixes (-s and -ed)
4)Coalescence
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1. Place of Articulation
"Ten people"
If you say this phrase slowly, you pronounce the
/n/ in "ten" and the /p/ in "people" distinctly.
However, when spoken quickly, the /n/ often
changes to /m/, so it sounds like "tem people."
Assimilation Due to Place of Articulation
Let's look at an example:
"Ten people"
If you say this phrase slowly, you pronounce the /n/ in "ten" and the /p/ in "people"
distinctly. However, when spoken quickly, the /n/ often changes to /m/, so it sounds like
"tem people."
Why Does This Happen?
/n/ is an alveolar sound, produced by placing the tongue behind the upper teeth.
/p/ is a bilabial sound, made by bringing both lips together.
Changing /n/ to /m/ (also a bilabial sound) anticipates the lip movement for /p/, making the
transition smoother.
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2. Voicing Assimilation
Sometimes, a voiced consonant becomes voiceless
because of a following voiceless sound:
Example: "have to" becomes "haff to".
/v/ loses its voicing to become voiceless /f/
in anticipation of the voiceless /t/.
Voicing Assimilation
Sometimes, a voiced consonant becomes voiceless because of a following voiceless
sound:
"Have to" can sound like "haf to" because /v/ (voiced) becomes /f/ (voiceless).
Example: "have to" becomes "haff to".
/v/ loses its voicing to become voiceless /f/ in anticipation of the voiceless /t/.
Examples: sub-plot becomes /p/, eggshell becomes /k/.
.......................
Assimilation often affects the alveolar sounds /t/, /d/, and /n/ when they come before nonalveolar sounds:
/t/ to /p/ before /p/, /b/, /m/
"That boy" → "Thap boy"
/d/ to /b/ before /p/, /b/, /m/
"Good morning" → "Goob morning"
/n/ to /m/ before /p/, /b/, /m/
"Green beans" → "Greem beans"
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3.Assimilation of Suffixes
Example: ripped vs. ribbed.
The voiced and voiceless suffixes change
depending on the final sound of the root word.
The pronunciation of the suffixes -s and -ed depends on the
voicing of the preceding consonant After voiced consonants,
-s is pronounced as /z/:
"Dogs" → /dɒɡz/
The pronunciation of the suffixes -s and -ed depends on the voicing of the preceding
consonant:
After voiceless consonants, -s is pronounced as /s/:
"Cats" → /kæts/
After voiced consonants, -s is pronounced as /z/:
"Dogs" → /dɒɡz/
Assimilation of Suffixes (-s and -ed)
The pronunciation of the suffixes -s and -ed depends on the voicing of the preceding
consonant:
After voiceless consonants, -s is pronounced as /s/:
"Cats" → /kæts/
After voiced consonants, -s is pronounced as /z/:
"Dogs" → /dɒɡz/
Assimilation of Suffixes (-s and -ed)
The pronunciation of the suffixes -s and -ed depends on the voicing of the preceding
consonant:
After voiceless consonants, -s is pronounced as /s/:
"Cats" → /kæts/
After voiced consonants, -s is pronounced as /z/:
"Dogs" → /dɒɡz/
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Assimilation of Suffixes (-s and -ed) (4 minutes)
Example: ripped vs. ribbed.
Explain how the voiced and voiceless suffixes change depending on the final sound of the
root wor d.
Activity: Have students pronounce words like picked and loved.
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4. Coalescent Assimilation
(Coalescence)
This is a specific type of assimilation where two
sounds merge to form a new one
/t/ + /j/ becomes /tʃ/
"Don't you" → "Don’tcha"
"Got you!" → "Gotcha!"
This is a specific type of assimilation where two sounds merge to form a new one:
/t/ + /j/ becomes /tʃ/
"Don't you" → "Don’tcha"
/d/ + /j/ becomes /dʒ/
"Did you" → "Didja"
Other Examples:
"did you" becomes /dʒ/: "Did you like it?" → "Didja like it?"
"got you" becomes /tʃ/: "Got you!" → "Gotcha!"
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ELISION
Elision is the omission of a sound that would be
present in slow, careful speech. It's another way
our speech becomes more efficient.
What is Elision?
Elision is the omission of a sound that would be present in slow, careful speech. It's
another way our speech becomes more efficient.
Elision refers to the disappearance of sounds, often happening in faster, connected
speech.
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Elision
1. Elision of Schwa (/ə/)
2. Elision in Consonant Clusters
3. Elision in Weak Forms
Elision of Schwa (/ə/)
The schwa is the most common vowel sound in English, but it's often dropped in casual
speech:
"Potato" can become "ptato" (dropping the first /ə/).
"Police" can sound like "p'lice."
Elision in Consonant Clusters
When multiple consonants come together, one might be dropped:
"Next week" might be pronounced as "Nex week", dropping the /t/.
"Friends" can sound like "Frens".
Elision in Weak Forms
Certain common words have "strong" and "weak" forms, and elision often occurs in the
weak form s:
"And" is often pronounced as /ən/ or just /n/: "Fish 'n' chips."
Part 4: Assimilation and Elision Combined
These processes can occur together, significantly altering the pronunciation of phrases:
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"Handbag" can become "Hambag" (assimilation of /n/ to /m/ and elision of /d/).
"Sandwich" might sound like "Samwich".
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Elision of Schwa (/ə/)
"Potato" can become "ptato" (dropping the
first /ə/).
"Police" can sound like "p'lice."
Elision of Schwa (/ə/)
The schwa is the most common vowel sound in English, but it's often dropped in casual
speech:
"Potato" can become "ptato" (dropping the first /ə/).
"Police" can sound like "p'lice."
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Elision in Consonant Clusters
When multiple consonants come together, one
might be dropped
"Next week" might be pronounced as "Nex
week", dropping the /t/.
"Friends" can sound like "Frens".
Elision in Consonant Clusters
When multiple consonants come together, one might be dropped:
"Next week" might be pronounced as "Nex week", dropping the /t/.
"Friends" can sound like "Frens".
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Elision in Weak Forms
Unstressed syllables and words in English
often undergo elision in everyday
conversation.
"I'd" (I had or I would), "that'll" (that will).
"And" is often pronounced as /ən/ or just
/n/: "Fish 'n' chips.").
Elision in Weak Forms
Certain common words have "strong" and "weak" forms, and elision often occurs in the
weak forms:
I'd" (I had or I would), "that'll" (that will).
"And" is often pronounced as /ən/ or just /n/: "Fish 'n' chips."
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Assimilation and Elision Combined
Now think of phrases
where both
assimilation and
elision may occur.
Example:
"bed and breakfast" can be reduced from
/bed əm ˈbrekfəst/ to /bem ˈbrekfs/ in
fluent speech.
These processes can occur together, significantly altering the pronunciation of phrases:
Example 1:
"Handbag" can become "Hambag" (assimilation of /n/ to /m/ and elision of /d/).
"Sandwich" might sound like "Samwich".
Example 2:
"bed and breakfast" can be reduced from /bed əm ˈbrekfəst/ to /bem ˈbrekfs/ in fluent
speech.
Activity: Ask students to think of phrases where both assimilation and elision may occur.
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Implications
Understanding
assimilation and
elision is crucial for
improving listening
comprehension.
Listening Skills
Awareness of
assimilation and
elision can improve
fluency and make
speech sound more
natural.
Speaking Skills
Implications for Learners and Teachers
Listening Skills
Understanding assimilation and elision is crucial for improving listening comprehension.
Native speakers often use these processes, which can make spoken English seem faster
and harder to understand.
Exercise: Listen to recordings of native speakers and try to identify instances of
assimilation and el ision.
Speaking Skills
While it's not necessary for learners to use assimilation and elision to be understood,
being aware of them can improve fluency and make speech sound more natural.
Tip: Practice phrases where assimilation and elision commonly occur to become more
comfortable with these patterns.
...............................
Summary
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Assimilation makes speech smoother by changing sounds to be more like neighboring
sounds.
Elision speeds up speech by omitting certain sounds.
Both processes are natural and occur in all languages to varying degrees.
Awareness of these can improve both listening comprehension and speaking fluency.
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PRACTICE
EXERCISES
EXERCISE 1: IDENTIFYING
ASSIMILATION
EXERCISE 2:
IDENTIFYING ELISION
Listen to the following sentences and identify
the assimilation:
Listen and identify the elided sounds:
"That place is nice."
Assimilation: "That place" might sound like
"Thap place."
"Good girl."
Assimilation: "Good girl" might sound like
"Goog girl."
"He must be here."
Elision: The /t/ in "must" might be dropped:
"Mus' be here."
"I'm going to go now."
Elision: "Going to" often becomes "gonna":
"I'm gonna go now."
Part 6: Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Identifying Assimilation
Listen to the following sentences and identify the assimilation:
"That place is nice."
Assimilation: "That place" might sound like "Thap place."
"Good girl."
Assimilation: "Good girl" might sound like "Goog girl."
Exercise 2: Identifying Elision
Listen and identify the elided sounds:
"He must be here."
Elision: The /t/ in "must" might be dropped: "Mus' be here."
"I'm going to go now."
Elision: "Going to" often becomes "gonna": "I'm gonna go now."
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Thank You
See you next time
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