Assimilation & Insertion

Phonological Processes

Definition

A phonological process is a process that happens during rapid speech

which helps facilitating speech and economic transitions.
 Phonological Processes

Assimilation Syllabic Structure Substitution

 Assimilation

Definition

It is a process where a segment takes on features from a neighboring

segment.

It is the process where some phonemes change to be more similar or

identical to another phoneme to facilitate speech and economic
transitions.
 Types of Assimilation

Consonant Vowel Consonant Vowel

Assimilates Assimilates Assimilates Assimilates
Vowel Consonant Consonant Vowel
Features Features Features Features
C <-- V V <-- C C <-- C V <-- V
Consonant Assimilates Vowel features
C <-- V

A vowel influence the neighboring consonant.

Vowels features are extended onto a consonant as a secondary
modification.
Palatalization and Labialization are common examples of this type of
assimilation.
 Consonant Assimilates Vowel features
C <-- V

In Palatalization:
The tongue position of a front vowel influences an adjacent consonant.

In Labialization:
The lip position of rounded vowel includes a secondary articulation
onto the consonant.
Consonant Assimilates Vowel features
C <-- V
In Russian, the certain consonant become palatalized when they
precede the front vowel.

table table
stól stolʲél
(nominative singular) (locative singular)

tasty (adj)
vkús taste (noun) vkúsʲen

dár gift (noun) darʲit to give (v)

dóm house (noun) domʲisko cottage (n)
Consonant Assimilates Vowel features
C <-- V
In Nupe, a west African language, a consonant is palatalized before
front vowel and labialized before rounded vowels.

Palatalization Labialization

egʲi child egʷu mud

egʲe beer egʷo grass

Consonant Assimilates Vowel features
C <-- V
In English, consonants are palatalized before front vowels.

əˈnæləgəs analogous

Palatalization

əˈnæləʤi analogy
Vowel Assimilates Consonant features
V <-- C

Consonant influence the neighboring vowel.

The modification of the vowel is usually allophonic.

Nasalization is a common process of this type.

 Vowel Assimilates Consonant features
V <-- C

Nasalization is when a vowel become phonetically nasalized because it

is adjacent to nasal consonant.

si: see sĩ:n seen

kæt cat kæ̃ nt can’t

 Vowel Assimilates Consonant features
V <-- C
In Chatino, spoken in Mexico, unstressed vowels are voiceless between
two voiceless consonants.
tiyéʔ lime → tihí hard
The unstressed vowel /i/ is voiceless when it is come between two voiceless consonants
/t/ and /h/
kinó sandal → kisu avocado
The unstressed vowel /i/ is voiceless when it is come between two voiceless consonants
/k/ and/s/
suwi clean → suʔwá you send
The unstressed vowel /u/ is voiceless when it is come between two voiceless consonants
/s/ and/ʔ/
Consonant Assimilates Consonant features
C <-- C

The most widespread phenomenon is when a consonant cluster agrees

on voicing.

Finale –s (plural) Past tense

kʌps cups bækt backed

kʌbz cubs bægd bagged

Consonant Assimilates Consonant features
C <-- C

The nasal consonant becomes homorganic with the following

consonant: that is, the nasal adopts the same place of articulation as
the following consonant.
Consonant Assimilates Consonant features
C <-- C

In Yoruba, has a nasal prefix: {m-}, {n-} and {ŋ-} which assimilates in
this fashion.

ba hide mba is hiding

fɔ break mfɔ is breaking
→
tɛ spread ntɛ is spreading
gun climb ŋgun is climbing
Consonant Assimilates Consonant features
C <-- C
In English, the prefix {in-} become homorganic to a following stops:

in- possible impossible

in- balance imbalance

in- tolerance → intolerance

in- decisive indecisive

in- coherent iŋcoherent

 Vowel Assimilates Vowel features
V <-- V
The vowel of one syllable become more like the vowel of some other
syllable.

Here, we can distinguish

Vowel Harmony (where vowels agree in certain features)
from Umlauting (where back vowels get fronted).
 Vowel Assimilates Vowel features
V <-- V
In Turkish, the high vowel of a suffix agrees in backness and rounding
with stem vowel; thus, demonstrating vowel harmony.

diš tooth dišim my tooth

ev house → evim my house

göz eye gözüm my eye

 Vowel Assimilates Vowel features
V <-- V
In German, back vowels are fronted before a certain suffix containing a
high-front vowel this is known as Umlauting.

yar year yærlic annual

štundə hour → štündlic hourly

gūt good gü ̄tik kind

In modern German, we can find the Umlauting in other environments not only
with suffixes that contain high-front vowel.
 Syllabic Structure

Definition
It is a process which affects the relative distribution of consonant and
vowels within a word.
Insertion

Syllabic Structure

Deletion
 Insertion
Also known as Epenthesis or Addition.

Consonant Insertion Vowel Insertion

It breaks a vowel It breaks a
cluster using a consonant cluster
consonant. using a vowel.
 Consonant Insertion
In Hanunoo, the consonant /h/ is inserted to break up the vowel cluster.

The suffix {-i} gives the meaning of verb {make it}

ʔupat four ʔupati make it four

→
ʔunum six ʔunumi make it six

The consonant /h/ added between the two vowels /a/ and /i/ to break the
vowel cluster to be easier in pronunciation.
ʔusa one ʔusahi make it one
→
tulu three tuluhi make it three
 Consonant Insertion
In some dialects of English, the consonant /r/ is inserted whenever a
word ending in a schwa /ə/ is followed by a word beginning with a
vowel.

/ði aɪˈdɪə keɪm/ The idea came → /ði aɪˈdɪə ɪz gʊd/ The idea-r-is good
 Vowel Insertion
Latin words cannot end in consonant liquid cluster {the sound /l/ and
the sound /r/} in the such case the vowel /e/ is inserted to break up the
cluster.

father
patris father (genitive) pater
(nominative)
agri field (genitive) → ager field (nominative)

libri book (genitive) liber book (nominative)

 Vowel Insertion

In English, schwa /ə/ is inserted between final consonant-sonorant clusters:

{nasals: /m/,/n/ and /ŋ, liquid: /l/ and /r/ and glides: /w/ and /j/} .

ˈsɛntə center ˈsɛntrəl central

ˈsaɪkl cycle → ˈsaɪklək cyclic

ˈspæzəm spasm spæzəmək spasmic

Thank You
 Team 10
Toqua Mohamed Essa Rahma Yousri Mohamed Ali

Sama Abd El Raouf Ibrahim Sara Ibrahem Elsayed

Habiba Mohamed Sayed Shahd Alaa Hassan

Fatma Mohamed Elsersy Farah Ahmed Gad

Mai Khaled Mohamed Ali AbdulRazik Marina Ashraf Mourad

Mariam Ebrahem Mahamden Menna tallah Ahmed Galal

Menna-t Allah Mohamed El-Shafey Yara Ahmed Abd Elhafiz