earticle

영어

The goal of this paper is to provide an account for the assimilation processes in English. To be specific, this paper attempts to explain the different application modes of assimilation in English within the framework of Optimality Theory and discusses the direction of assimilation. Assimilation in English can be divided into voicing assimilation and place assimilation. These two kinds of the assimilation processes show different applicability in level 1 and level 2. For instance, nasal place assimilation applies when level 1 affixes are attached to the stem. However, this rule does not apply when level 2 affixes are added. In the case of voicing assimilation, the sound in the stem changes in level 1, while the sound in the affix changes in level 2. This paper provides an account for the different application modes of assimilation in level 1 and level 2 with the slightly modified version of constraint IDWD proposed in Borowsky (2000). In addition, the explanation of the direction of assimilation is provided in terms of perception and psychological prominence.