Phonological processes are changes that sounds undergo when combined in words and phrases. The main processes are assimilation, coalescence, elision, haplology, and metathesis. Assimilation occurs when one sound influences another nearby sound, making them more similar. Coalescence replaces two sounds with one sound containing features of both. Elision omits sounds in fast speech. Haplology drops similar consecutive sequences of sounds. Metathesis changes the order of sounds.

1. Phonological processes
UCV

2. Phonological processes
 Changes segments(sounds) suffer when they are combined
to form words, phrases, utterances.
 These changes occur at the points of junction of segments.
 The most common phonological processes are:
Assimilation
Coalescence
Elision
Haplology
Metathesis

3. Assimilation
 Influence of one segment upon the articulation of another.
 The two sounds become more alike or identical.
 Assimilation can occur both ways:
 upon a preceding sound = Regressive
 upon a succeeding sound = Progressive

4. Examples of assimilation
 Triumph: influence of /f/ upon /m/
 Labiodental feature of /f/ modifies bilabial feature
of /m/. Regressive
 Eighth: influence of /Ɵ/ upon /g/
 Dental /Ɵ/ blockage of the stop /g/ instead of the
usual velar. Regressive
 Happen: influence of /p/ upon /n/
 Nasal /n/ articulated with the same organ of the
stop /p/. Progressive

5. Examples of assimilation
 Alveolar sounds replaced by segments identical in manner of
articulation and voicing:
 /t/ becomes /p/ or /k/
That pear
That course
 /d/ becomes /b/ or /g/
Good price
He said Gary was coming.
 /n/ becomes /m/ or / ŋ/
Ken Miller
Man crying

6. Examples of assimilation
 Alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/ change when followed by /ʃ/,
/ʒ/, or /j/:
 /s/ becomes /ʃ/
/s/ + /ʃ/=/ʃ/ “this shop”
/s/ + /j/=/ʃ/ “this year”
 /z/ becomes /ʒ/ or /ʃ/
/z/ + /j/= /ʒ/ “those young men”
/z/ + /ʃ/=/ʃ/ “has she?”
 Nasalization of vowels preceding nasal sounds:
 and /ænd/
 sounds /saƱndz/
~
~

7. Coalescence
 Two segments are replaced by a single one
that shows features of the original ones.
 *A kind of assimilation
 /s/ + /j/ becomes /ʃ/ “Is this your book?”
 /z/ + /j/ becomes /ʒ/ “Close your book!”
 /t/ +/j/ becomes /ʧ/ “I hate you!”
 /d/+ /j/ becomes /ʤ/ “Did you see her?

8. Elision
 Omission of a segment that should be present in
deliberate pronunciation.
 Usual in rapid speech, more than in careful
pronunciation.
 Last month
 Round the corner
 You and me
 Bread and butter

9. Examples of elision
 When /t/ follows a fortis(voiceless) consonant and precedes
any consonant
 Next week
 At first sight
 When /d/ occurs between consonants
 Old man
 Kindness
 When /h/ occurs in pronominal weak forms
 Was he there?
 Did you see her?

10. Haplology
 *Similar to elision
 One or two more or less similar sequences of
segments are dropped.
 Morphophonemics morphonemics
 Similarly simily
 Library libry
 Regularly regurly
 Probably probly

11. Metathesis
 Seen as performance errors, or tongue slips.
 Change of place of speech sounds.
 Aks ask
 Disintregation disintegration
 Emnity enmity
 Whipser whisper
 Also observed in the phenomenon of ‘spoonerism’