Phonological processes

1. Phonological processes
UCV

2. Phonological processes
 Changes segments(sounds) suffer when they are combined
to form words, phrases, utterances.
 These changes occur at the points of junction of segments.
 The most common phonological processes are:
Assimilation
Coalescence
Elision
Haplology
Metathesis

3. Assimilation
 Influence of one segment upon the articulation of another.
 The two sounds become more alike or identical.
 Assimilation can occur both ways:
 upon a preceding sound = Regressive
 upon a succeeding sound = Progressive

4. Examples of assimilation
 Triumph: influence of /f/ upon /m/
 Labiodental feature of /f/ modifies bilabial feature
of /m/. Regressive
 Eighth: influence of /Ɵ/ upon /g/
 Dental /Ɵ/ blockage of the stop /g/ instead of the
usual velar. Regressive
 Happen: influence of /p/ upon /n/
 Nasal /n/ articulated with the same organ of the
stop /p/. Progressive

5. Examples of assimilation
 Alveolar sounds replaced by segments identical in manner of
articulation and voicing:
 /t/ becomes /p/ or /k/
That pear
That course
 /d/ becomes /b/ or /g/
Good price
He said Gary was coming.
 /n/ becomes /m/ or / ŋ/
Ken Miller
Man crying

6. Examples of assimilation
 Alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/ change when followed by /ʃ/,
/ʒ/, or /j/:
 /s/ becomes /ʃ/
/s/ + /ʃ/=/ʃ/ “this shop”
/s/ + /j/=/ʃ/ “this year”
 /z/ becomes /ʒ/ or /ʃ/
/z/ + /j/= /ʒ/ “those young men”
/z/ + /ʃ/=/ʃ/ “has she?”
 Nasalization of vowels preceding nasal sounds:
 and /ænd/
 sounds /saƱndz/
~
~

7. Coalescence
 Two segments are replaced by a single one
that shows features of the original ones.
 *A kind of assimilation
 /s/ + /j/ becomes /ʃ/ “Is this your book?”
 /z/ + /j/ becomes /ʒ/ “Close your book!”
 /t/ +/j/ becomes /ʧ/ “I hate you!”
 /d/+ /j/ becomes /ʤ/ “Did you see her?

8. Elision
 Omission of a segment that should be present in
deliberate pronunciation.
 Usual in rapid speech, more than in careful
pronunciation.
 Last month
 Round the corner
 You and me
 Bread and butter

9. Examples of elision
 When /t/ follows a fortis(voiceless) consonant and precedes
any consonant
 Next week
 At first sight
 When /d/ occurs between consonants
 Old man
 Kindness
 When /h/ occurs in pronominal weak forms
 Was he there?
 Did you see her?

10. Haplology
 *Similar to elision
 One or two more or less similar sequences of
segments are dropped.
 Morphophonemics morphonemics
 Similarly simily
 Library libry
 Regularly regurly
 Probably probly

11. Metathesis
 Seen as performance errors, or tongue slips.
 Change of place of speech sounds.
 Aks ask
 Disintregation disintegration
 Emnity enmity
 Whipser whisper
 Also observed in the phenomenon of ‘spoonerism’