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Er [[yezhoniezh]] e vez implijet an termen '''heñveladur''' ([[Saozneg|saoz.]]: [[:en:Assimilation (linguistics)|''assimilation'']]) war tachennoù ar [[fonetik]] hag ar [[fonologiezh]] evit komz eus ar fed ma c'hell kemmañ perzhioù resis ur [[fonem]] dre levezon ur [[fonenn]] all tost outañ, da skouer "[[amforenn]]" ma c'hell bezañ distaget [ɱf] e lec'h [mf] dre ma teu da vezañ distaget al lizherenn "m" gant [[Kensonenn gweuz-dent|ar gweuz izelañ o stekiñ ouzh dent krec'h]] kentoc'h evit gant an [[kensonenn diweuz|diweuz o stekiñ an eil ouzh eben]] dre levezon ar [[kensonenn|gensonenn]] gweuz-dent [f] a deu diouzhtu war he lerc'h.
Pevar doare heñveladur disheñvel ez eus:
There are four configurations found in assimilations: an increase in phonetic similarity between adjacent segments and between segments separated by one or more intervening segments; and the changes may be in reference to a preceding segment or a following one. Although all four occur, changes in regard to a following adjacent segment account for virtually all assimilatory changes (and most of the regular ones). And assimilations to an adjacent segment are vastly more frequent than assimilations to a non-adjacent one. (These radical asymmetries might contain hints about the mechanisms involved, but they are unobvious.)
: '''Heñveladur a-dost'''
If a sound changes with reference to a following segment, it is traditionally called "regressive assimilation"; changes with reference to a preceding segment are traditionally called "progressive". Many find these terms confusing, as they seem to mean the opposite of the intended meaning. Accordingly, a variety of alternative terms have arisen—not all of which avoid the problem of the traditional terms. Regressive assimilation is also known as right-to-left or anticipatory assimilation. Progressive assimilation is also known as left-to-right or perseveratory or preservative or lag assimilation. The terms anticipatory and lag will be used here.
:: Kemmañ a ra perzh ur fonem dre leveon ur fonenn all tost outañ, da lâret eo stag outañ, d.s. $
: '''Heñveladur a-bell'''
Very occasionally two sounds (invariably adjacent) may influence one another in reciprocal assimilation. When such a change results in a single segment with some of the features of both components, it is known as coalescence or fusion.
:: Kalz raloc'h. Kemmañ a ra perzh ur fonem dre leveon ur fonenn all pelloc'h dioutañ, d.s. [[galleg|henc'halleg]]: ''cercher'' /ser.ʧer/ > [[galleg|galleg a-vremañ]] ''chercher'' /ʃɛʁ.ʃe/ ("klask").
: '''Heñveladur war-gil'''
Some authorities distinguish between partial and complete assimilation, i.e., between assimilatory changes in which there remains some phonetic difference between the segments involved, and those in which all differences are obliterated. There is no theoretical advantage to such a classification, as one of the following examples will show.
:: An doare heñveladur kavet an aliesañ e yezhoù ar bed pa vez a-dost. Kemmañ a ra perzh ur fonem dre levezon ur fonenn all dirazañ, d.s. [[galleg]] ''i'''n'''-'' + ''possible'' > "i'''m'''possible" ("dibosupl") pe [[brezhoneg]] ''ma'''t''' eo'' ma vez [[Mouezh (yezhoniezh)|mouezhiet]] ar [[kensonenn dre serriñ]] [[Mouezh (yezhoniezh)|divouezh]] [t] > [d] dirak ur [[vogalenn]] (mouezhiet atav e brezhoneg).
: '''Heñveladur war-raok'''
[[Tonal language]]s may exhibit tone assimilation (tonal umlaut, in effect), while [[sign languages]] also exhibit assimilation when the characteristics of neighbouring phonemes may be mixed. ▼:: Kemmañ a ra perzh ur fonem dre levezon ur fonenn all war e lerc'h, d.s. $
Ha bez' a c'hell bezañ levezonet n'eus forzh psuert perzh eus ur [[fonem]], da lâret eo:
==Examples==
===Anticipatory assimilation to a contiguous segment===
: '''[[Mouezh (yezhoniezh)|Ar vouezh]]''': mouezhiet pe divouezhiet a c'hell bezañ ur fonem dre levezon ur sonenn all, da skouer:
This is the commonest type of assimilation by far and typically has the character of a conditioned sound change, i.e., it applies to the whole lexicon. Thus in Latin, prefixes ending in a nasal (''com''- "with" (also marks completive action); ''in''- "in(to)" (also marks "ingression", i.e. the commencement of an action); ''in''- (forms privative adjectives)) all show the following assimilatory changes relative to a following adjacent segment:
: '''[[Lec'h distagañ|Al lec'h distagañ]]''': kemmañ a c'hell al lec'h distagañ dre levezon ur sonenn all, da skouer:
All become {{IPA|/m/}} before {{IPA|/p/}}, {{IPA|/b/}}, and {{IPA|/m/}}: impendeō "hang over", imbibō "drink in", immēnsus "immeasurable"
All become {{IPA|/n/}} before {{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/d/}}, and {{IPA|/n/}}: contāminō "render unclean", connīveō "lower the eyes; be complicit', condōnō "give away, present"
All become {{IPA|/l/}} or {{IPA|/r/}} before {{IPA|/l/}} and {{IPA|/r/}}, respectively: corrumpō "break to pieces", irrētiō "entangle in a net", irrāsus "unshaved", illūdō "play with", illīterātus "ignorant, unlettered", colloquor "converse, talk with", collūdō "play with" (but usually "have a secret understanding with").
The assimilation to {{IPA|[ŋ]}} before {{IPA|/k/}} or {{IPA|/ɡ/}} is not shown in writing.
: '''[[Lec'h distagañ|Al lec'h distagañ]]''': kemmañ a c'hell al lec'h distagañ dre levezon ur sonenn all, da skouer [[Staonekadur|staonekaet]] e c'hell bezañ dre levezon ur fonenn [[Kensonenn staon|staon]] tost outañ.
Also in Latin, a stop followed by a nasal assimilates to the nasal: Proto-Indo-European *''swepnos'' "sleep" > Lat. ''somnus'' [the vowel changes are regular, too], *''supmos'' "highest" > ''summus'', *''ad-nec''- > ''annectō'' "bind to" (cf. ''annex''), ''sub-moenium'' "red light district" (lit. "under the walls") > ''summoenium''. (This example also indicates the pointlessness of the division into "partial" and "complete" assimilations: this is plainly a single sound-law—stops become nasals—and whether the output assimilation is "complete" or "partial" hinges inconsequentially on the phonetic details of the input.)
: '''[[Kensonenn kendistaget|Kendistagadurioù]]''': ouzhpennet a c'hell bezañ ouzh perzhioù diazez ur fonemenn kendistagadurioù a eil reink, da skouer [[Staonekadur|staonekaet]] e c'hell bezañ dre levezon ur fonenn [[Kensonenn staon|staon]] tost outañ, d.s. /k/ > [ʧ] dirak [i] pe [e] e [[rannyezh|rannyezhoù]] [[brezhoneg|brezhonek]] 'zo komzet e [[Bro-Wened]].
In Italian, voiceless stops assimilate to a following {{IPA|/t/}}: Proto-Romance *''oktọ'' "eight" > It. ''otto'', PRom. ''lęktu'' "bed" > ''letto'', *''suptu'' "under" > ''sotto.''
▲[[Tonal language]]s may exhibit tone assimilation (tonal umlaut, in effect), while [[sign languages]] also exhibit assimilation when the characteristics of neighbouring phonemes may be mixed.
===Anticipatory assimilation at a distance===
Rare, and usually merely an accident in the history of a specific word.
Old French ''cercher'' "to chase" {{IPA|/ser.ʧer/}} > Modern Fr. chercher {{IPA|/ʃɛʁ.ʃe/}}.
However, the diverse and common assimilations known as [[umlaut]], wherein the phonetics of a vowel are influenced by the phonetics of a vowel in a following syllable, are both commonplace and in the nature of sound laws. Such changes abound in the histories of [[Germanic Languages]], Romanian, [[Old Irish]], and many others.
Examples: in the history of English, a back vowel becomes front if a high front vocoid (*i, ī, y) is in the following syllable:
Proto-Germanic *''mūsiz'' "mice" > Old English ''mýs'' {{IPA|/myːs/}} > ''mice''; PGmc *''batizōn''- "better" > OE ''bettre''; PGmc *''fōtiwiz'' "feet" > OE ''fét'' > ''feet.''
Contrariwise, Proto-Germanic *''i'' and *''u'' > ''e, o'' respectively before *''a'' in the following syllable: PGmc *''nistaz'' > OE ''nest''; PGmc *''wulfaz'' > OE ''wolf.''
Another example of a regular change is the sibilant assimilation of Sanskrit, wherein if there were two different sibilants as the onset of successive syllables, a plain {{IPA|/s/}} was always replaced by the palatal {{IPA|/ɕ/}}: Proto-Indo-European *''smeḱru''- "beard" > Skt. ''śmaśru''-; *''ḱoso''- "gray" > Skt. ''śaśa''- "rabbit"; PIE *''sweḱru''- "husband's mother' > Skt. ''śvaśrū''-.
===Lag assimilation to a contiguous segment===
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