The Art of Speech Assimilation

Assimilation is a process of speech sounds alteration making them similar to adjoining sounds.

It makes sounds fully or partially similar by changing how we articulate them.

It affects obstruction, the vocal cords, lip position, and even the soft palate.

In progressive assimilation, the first sound changes the next one, like in bags

or books. Regressive is the opposite. In 'in them', the 'n' becomes

dental before 'th'. Reciprocal is mutual. In 'tree', the 't' and 'r' influence each

other's sounds. Complete assimilation merges sounds, like how sandwich often sounds like

'san-wich' over time. Incomplete means sounds only share some features, like the devoiced