View source for Fusion (phonetics)

{{Short description|Sound change where two features blend into one such as French nasal vowels; opposite of unpacking}}
{{For|fusion in morphology|Fusional language}}
{{Sound change}}
In [[phonetics]] and [[historical linguistics]], '''fusion''', or '''coalescence''', is a [[sound change]] where two or more [[Segment (linguistics)|segment]]s with [[distinctive feature]]s merge into a single segment. This can occur both on [[consonants]] and in [[vowels]]. A word like ''educate'' is one that may exhibit fusion, e.g. {{IPA|/ˈɛdjʊkeɪt/}} or {{IPA|/ˈɛdʒʊkeɪt/}}. A merger between two segments can also occur between [[word boundary (linguistics)|word boundaries]], an example being the phrase ''got ya'' {{IPA|/ˈɡɒt jə/}} being pronounced like ''gotcha'' {{IPA|/ˈɡɒtʃə/}}. Most cases of fusion lead to [[allophone|allophonic]] variation, though some sequences of segments may lead to wholly distinct [[phoneme]]s.

A common form of fusion is found in the development of [[nasal vowel]]s, which frequently become phonemic when final [[nasal consonants]] are lost from a language. This occurred in French and Portuguese. Compare the French words {{lang|fr|un vin blanc}} {{IPA|fr|œ̃ vɛ̃ blɑ̃|}} "a white wine" with their English [[cognate]]s, ''one, wine, blank,'' which retain the sound of the letter Ns.

Often the resulting sound has the [[place of articulation]] of one of the source sounds and the [[manner of articulation]] of the other, as in [[Malay language|Malay]].

Vowel coalescence is extremely common. The resulting vowel is often long, and either between the two original vowels in vowel space, as in {{IPA|[ai]}} → {{IPA|[eː]}} → {{IPA|[e]}} and {{IPA|[au]}} → {{IPA|[oː]}} → {{IPA|[o]}} in French (compare English ''day'' {{IPA|[deɪ]}} and ''law'' {{IPA|[lɔː]}}), in Hindi (with {{IPA|[ɛː], [ɔː]}}), and in some varieties of Arabic; or combines features of the vowels, as in {{IPA|[ui]}} → {{IPA|[yː]}} → {{IPA|[y]}} and {{IPA|[oi]}} → {{IPA|[øː]}} → {{IPA|[ø]}}.

[[Compensatory lengthening]] may be considered an extreme form of fusion.

==Examples==

===Indo-European languages===

====English====
Historically, the [[alveolar consonant|alveolar]] [[plosive]]s and [[fricative]]s have fused with {{IPA|/j/}}, in a process referred to as [[yod coalescence]]. Words like ''nature'' and ''omission'' have had such consonant clusters, being pronounced like {{IPA|/naːˈtiu̯r/}} and {{IPA|/ɔˈmisjən/}}. Words ending in the Latin-derived suffixes ''-tion'' and ''-sion'', such as ''fiction'' and ''mission'', are examples that exhibit yod coalescence.

This sound change was not, however, distributed evenly. Words like ''module'' may be realised as either {{IPA|/ˈmɒdjuːl/}} or {{IPA|/ˈmɒdʒuːl/}}. Words that did not experience universal yod coalescence, are always realised as two segments in accents like [[Received Pronunciation]]. Most other dialects do pronounce them as one segment, however, like [[American English]].

Words with primary stress on a syllable with such a cluster did not experience coalescence either. Examples include ''tune'' {{IPA|/tjuːn/}} and ''assume'' {{IPA|/əˈsjuːm/}}. Some dialects exhibit coalescence in these cases, where some coalesce only {{IPA|/tj/}} and {{IPA|/dj/}}, while others also coalesce {{IPA|/sj/}} and {{IPA|/zj/}}. In [[General American]], {{IPA|/j/}} [[elide]]s entirely when following alveolar consonants, in a process called [[yod dropping]]. The previous examples end up as {{IPA|/tuːn/}} and {{IPA|/əˈsuːm/}}. Words that have already coalesced are not affected by this.

[[Australian English]] exhibits yod coalescence to an extreme degree, even when the cluster is in a stressed syllable, though there is some sociolectal variation. In an accent with full yod coalescence, ''tune'' and ''assume'' are pronounced like {{IPA|/tʃuːn/}} and {{IPA|/əˈʃuːm/}}. This can result in homophony between previously distinct words, as between ''dune'' and ''June'', which are both pronounced {{IPA|/d͡ʒuːn/}}.

====Romance languages====
{{details|Romance languages#Palatalization|Palatalization_(sound_change)#Romance_languages}}

Most [[Romance language]]s have coalesced sequences of consonants followed by {{IPA|/j/}}. Sequences of plosives followed by {{IPA|/j/}} most often became [[affricate]]s, often being intermediary stages to other manners of articulation. Sonorants in such a sequence (except [[bilabial consonant]]s) mostly became [[palatalization (sound change)|palatalized]].

====Greek====
{{details|Proto-Greek language#Other Post-Proto-Greek changes|Iotacism}}
During the development of [[Ancient Greek]] from [[Proto-Greek]], the labiovelar {{IPA|[kʷ]}}, {{IPA|[kʷʰ]}}, and {{IPA|[ɡʷ]}} became {{IPA|[p]}}, {{IPA|[pʰ]}}, and {{IPA|[b]}}. Although the labiovelars were already a single consonant, they had two places of articulation, a velar articulation and labial secondary articulation ({{IPA|[ʷ]}}). However, the development of labiovelars varies from dialect to dialect, and some may have become dental instead. An example is the word ''{{wt|grc|βοῦς|boûs}}'' "cow" from Proto-Greek ''{{wt|grk-pro|*gʷous}}''.

A vowel coalescence from Ancient Greek to [[Koine Greek]] fused many diphthongs, especially those including {{IPA|/i̯/}}. E.g. {{IPA|/ai̯/}} > {{IPA|/e/}}; {{IPA|/aːi̯/}} > {{IPA|/a/}}; {{IPA|/ɛːi̯/}} and {{IPA|/oi̯/}} > {{IPA|/i/}} and {{IPA|/ɔːi̯/}} > {{IPA|/o/}}.

====Celtic languages====
Several consonant clusters in [[Proto-Celtic]] underwent fusion, most prominently /*ɡ/ to the following consonant in [[coda (linguistics)|coda]] position. Examples include {{wt|cel-pro|*ougros}} to {{wt|sga|úar}} and {{wt|cel-pro|*maglos}} to {{wt|sga|mál}} in [[Old Irish]].

====North Germanic languages====
In [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] and [[Swedish language|Swedish]], this process occurs whenever the phoneme {{IPA|/ɾ/}} is followed by an alveolar consonant. The articulation of the resulting fusion becomes [[retroflex]]. Examples include the Norwegian {{wt|nb|bart}} {{IPA|[bɑʈ]}} and Swedish {{wt|sv|nord}} {{IPA|[nuːɖ]}}. This even occurs across word boundaries, as in the sentence "''går det bra?''" becoming {{IPA|/ɡoː‿ɖə brɑː/}}.

This process will continue for as long as there are more alveolar consonants, though when this amount exceeds four, people usually try to break it up or shorten it, usually by replacing {{IPA|/ʂ/}} with {{IPA|/s/}}, or eliding {{IPA|/d/}}. An extreme example of this would be the word ''ordensstraff'' {{IPA|/ɔ.ɖɳ̩ʂ.ʂʈɽɑfː/}}, having six retroflex consonants in a row.

In colloquial Norwegian, the sequence /rt/ may even coalesce over non-alveolar phonemes, changing their place of articulation to retroflex, even if /r/ normally wouldn't trigger it. Examples include {{wt|nb|sterk|sterkt}} {{IPA|/stæɾkt/}} {{IPA|[stæʈː]}}, {{wt|nb|skarp|skarpt}} {{IPA|/skɑɾpt/}} {{IPA|[skɑʈː]}}, {{wt|nb|verktøy}} {{IPA|/ʋæɾk.tœʏ̯/}} {{IPA|[ʋæʈ.ʈœʏ̯]}} and {{wt|nb|varm|varmt}} {{IPA|/ʋɑɾmt/}} {{IPA|[ʋɑɳʈ]}}. This process does not occur across word boundaries, e.g. ''sterk tann'' is pronounced {{IPA|/stæɾk tɑnː/}} and not {{IPA|*/stæ‿ʈɒnː/}}<ref>Solhaug, Tor H. (2010) ''[https://munin.uit.no/bitstream/handle/10037/2952/thesis.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Retroflexion in Norwegian]''. University of Tromsø. Retrieved 2019-10-12</ref>

In dialects where {{IPA|/r/}} is articulated [[uvular consonant|uvularly]], this process invariably takes place on [[idiolect]]al level. For example, {{IPA|/rɑːrt/}} may be realised as {{IPA|[ʁɑːʁt]}} or {{IPA|[ʁɑːʈ]}}. This may appear in regions where /r/ has recently become uvular.<ref>Johnson, Sverre S. (2012) ''[https://folk.uio.no/sverrej/publication_files/2012/phonology/stausland.johnsen_phonology.2012.pdf A diachronic account of phonological unnaturalness*]''. University of Oslo. Cambridge University Press. {{doi|10.1017/S0952675712000243}}. Retrieved 2019-10-12</ref>

===Austronesian languages===

====Malay====
In [[Malay language|Malay]], the final consonant of the prefix {{IPA|/məN-/}} (where N stands for a "placeless nasal", i.e. a [[nasal consonant|nasal]] with no specified [[place of articulation]]) coalesces with a [[voiceless]] [[stop consonant|stop]] at the beginning of the root to which the prefix is attached. The resulting sound is a nasal that has the place of articulation of the root-initial consonant.<ref>Laura Benua, July 1995, [http://roa.rutgers.edu/files/74-0000/74-0000-BENUA-0-0.PDF Identity Effects in Morphological Truncation]. Retrieved 2009-05-03</ref> For example:

*{{IPA|/mə'''N''' + '''p'''otoŋ/}} becomes {{IPA|/mə'''m'''otoŋ/}} 'cut' ({{IPA|[p]}} and {{IPA|[m]}} are both pronounced with the lips)
*{{IPA|/mə'''N''' + '''t'''ulis/}} becomes {{IPA|/mə'''n'''ulis/}} 'write' ({{IPA|[t]}} and {{IPA|[n]}} are both pronounced with the tip of the tongue)
*{{IPA|/mə'''N''' + '''k'''ira/}} becomes {{IPA|/mə'''ŋ'''ira/}} 'guess' ({{IPA|[k]}} and {{IPA|[ŋ]}} are both pronounced at the back of the tongue)

===Japanese===
Vowel coalescence occurs in [[Aichi Prefecture|Owari]] [[Japanese language|Japanese]]. The Diphthongs {{IPA|/ai/}} and {{IPA|/ae/}} change to {{IPA|[æː]}}, {{IPA|/oi/}} and {{IPA|/oe/}} change to {{IPA|[øː]}} and {{IPA|/ui/}} changes to {{IPA|[yː]}}. E.g. {{wt|ja|来年}} {{IPA|/raineN/}} > {{IPA|[ræ:nen]}}, {{wt|ja|鯉}} {{IPA|/koi/}} > {{IPA|[køː]}}, {{wt|ja|熱い}} {{IPA|/atsui/}} > {{IPA|[atsyː~atɕːyː]}}. Younger speakers may vary between Standard Japanese diphthongs and dialectal monophthongs.<ref>Youngberg, Connor. (2013) ''[https://www.soas.ac.uk/linguistics/research/workingpapers/volume-16/file88036.pdf Vocalic Coalescence in Owari Japanese] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111215103/https://www.soas.ac.uk/linguistics/research/workingpapers/volume-16/file88036.pdf |date=2022-01-11 }}'' SOAS Working Papers in Linguistics, vol. 16.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Sandhi]], sound changes that occur at morpheme or word boundaries
* [[Unpacking (linguistics)|Unpacking]], the opposite of fusion
* [[Yod-coalescence]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*Crowley, Terry. (1997) ''An Introduction to Historical Linguistics.'' 3rd edition. Oxford University Press.

[[Category:Assimilation (linguistics)]]