assimilation

linguistics

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June 18, 2026

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In linguistics, assimilation is a sound change process where one sound becomes more like a neighboring sound in terms of articulation. This often happens to make pronunciation easier.12

For example, the word "immovable" was once spelled "inmovable." The 'n' sound gradually became more like the 'm' sound next to it, resulting in the modern spelling and pronunciation. Another instance is how the Latin prefix "ad-" combined with "similis" to form "assimilate," where the 'd' sound changed to 's'.13

Assimilation can occur in various ways, such as changes in voicing or place of articulation, and is a common phenomenon in the natural evolution of languages.2

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Korean language
Assimilations
The spoken syllables are fairly simple in structure. Each ends either in a vowel or in one of the voiced consonants p, t, k, m, n, ng, or l. When two syllables are put together, various changes may take place where they join. When…
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The spoken syllables are fairly simple in structure. Each ends either in a vowel or in one of the voiced consonants p, t, k, m, n, ng, or l. When two syllables are put together, various changes may take place where they join. When…
Read More

linguistics
Sound change
…of sound change, most notably assimilation and dissimilation, can be explained, at least partially, in terms of syntagmatic, or contextual, conditioning. By assimilation is meant the process by which one sound is made similar in its place or manner of articulation to a neighbouring sound. For example, the word “cupboard”…
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…of sound change, most notably assimilation and dissimilation, can be explained, at least partially, in terms of syntagmatic, or contextual, conditioning. By assimilation is meant the process by which one sound is made similar in its place or manner of articulation to a neighbouring sound. For example, the word “cupboard”…
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Uralic languages
Vowel harmony
…above are partial and total assimilations of vowels in adjacent syllables. These assimilations illustrate a universal tendency of vowel interaction and are of relatively recent origin; they are best held apart from the question of vowel harmony. Examples of vowel assimilations abound. In Finnish an unstressed e in the illative…
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…above are partial and total assimilations of vowels in adjacent syllables. These assimilations illustrate a universal tendency of vowel interaction and are of relatively recent origin; they are best held apart from the question of vowel harmony. Examples of vowel assimilations abound. In Finnish an unstressed e in the illative…
Read More