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 between 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
