Assimilation (linguistics) - Definition and Overview

Assimilation is a regular sound change process by which a phoneme changes to match an adjacent phoneme in a word. If the phoneme changes to match the preceding phoneme, it is progressive assimilation. If the phoneme changes to match the following phoneme, it is regressive assimilation. If there is a mutual influence betwen the two phonemes, it is reciprocal assimilation. In the latter case the two phonemes can fuse completely and give a birth to a different one. This is called a coalescence. The result of consonant assimilation is usually a geminate consonant.

Examples

• The word assimilation itself (from Latin ad + simile)
• illegible (in + legible)
• suppose (sub + pose)
• Egitto, dottore, and many more words in Italian

Numerous examples can be found at List of Latin words with English derivatives.

See also

• Vowel harmony