English Assimilation and Linking: Labiodental, Bilabial, Velar Changes

Linking with /w/ between vowels

Linking W takes place between vowel sounds. Examples of vowel-to-vowel linking with a linking /w/:

• /uː/ or /ʊ/ → how are you /hauw‿ə/
• /u/ → w‿ (vowel + w linking): e.g., go away /gəuw‿ə’wei/
• Other diphthongs involved: /əʊ/, /aʊ/

25. When does the process of assimilation occur? Types

Assimilation takes place when a sound is adapted to a neighboring sound. There are four types of assimilation. Below are the types with examples and phonetic notes.

Dentalization (alveolar → dental)

Example: an alveolar consonant becomes dental before a dental sound.

Alveolar + dental:

• t → t̪ before /ð/ or /θ/
• d → d̪ before /ð/ or /θ/
• n → n̪ before /ð/ or /θ/

Examples with transcription:

• in the: [ɪn̪ðə]
• on the: [ɒn̪ðə]
• at the: [æt̪ðə]

Labiodentalization

Labiodentalization: a phonetic process in which final nasal sounds (/m/ and /n/) become labiodental when followed by labiodental sounds (/f/ and /v/). We use the upper teeth and the lower lip (or upper lip against the teeth) to articulate this change.

Structure: nasal → labiodental before /f/ or /v/.

Examples:

• Nasal (alveolar) n + f → [ɱ] as in example transcription: [ɒŋfraɪdeɪ]
• Bilabial m + v → [ɱ] as in example transcription: [aɪɱverisæd]

Bilabialisation

Bilabialisation: a phonetic process in which final alveolar sounds (/t/, /d/, /n/) become bilabial when they are followed by bilabial sounds (/p/, /b/, /m/). This facilitates pronunciation because two adjacent sounds share the same place of articulation.

Rules and examples:

• [t] at the end of a word before a bilabial (m, p, b) → [p]. Example: hot pie = [hɒp’paɪ].
• [d] at the end of a word before a bilabial (m, p, b) → [b]. Example: good boy = [gʊb’bɔɪ].
• [n] at the end of a word before a bilabial (m, p, b) → [m]. Example: green man = [grɪːm’mæn].

Velarisation

Velarisation: a phonetic assimilation process by which a phoneme moves its point of articulation to the velar place (k, g, ŋ).

Examples:

• [t] at the end of a word before a velar sound (k, g) → [k]. Example: fat king = [fæk’kɪŋ].
• [d] at the end of a word before a velar sound (k, g) → [g]. Example: good game = [gʊg’geɪm].
• [n] at the end of a word before a velar sound (k, g) → [ŋ]. Example: green cat = [grɪːŋ’kæt].

27. Problematic English consonants for Spanish speakers

Some English phonemes do not have direct equivalents in Spanish and therefore pose difficulty for Spanish speakers. For example, the following English sounds often have no real match in Spanish: /ʃ/, /ð/, /θ/, /dʒ/, /ʒ/ and /h/. Sometimes /v/ and /b/ are also confused.

Additional contrasts:

• Voiceless stops /p, t, k/ in English are normally aspirated (a strong burst of air) in many varieties of English; Spanish equivalents are typically unaspirated.
• Spanish /r/ is rolled or tapped; English /r/ is an approximant (smooth) and is not typically trilled.