Assimilation In the last post we discussed individual sound | IELTS Centre

Assimilation

In the last post we discussed individual sounds, and let’s today talk about how these sounds are pronounced differently when they are put together with other sounds in words and word phrases. I am going to introduce you a few key points which are essential in learning pronunciation. One of such integral parts of pronunciation is called “assimilation”.

Assimilation is a sound change where some sounds change to be more similar to other nearby sounds. It is a common type of phonological process in languages. Assimilation can occur either within a word or between words.
Here are the most common examples of assimilation:

1. Bless you! [Blesh yu!]
2. Dress shoes [dresh shuez] (a type of shoes worn with formal clothes)
3. What makes you angry? [Uvot meykesh yu engri?]
4. Nice to meet you! [Nays te mich yu!]
5. Where did you get your top? [Uvee dij yu gech ye top?]

Watch the following video to see how these assimilation patterns are pronounced by a native speaker. Pause when necessary and try to copy the way he is pronouncing these examples.

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