What is coalescence in phonological process ?

Coalescence is a phonological process in which two adjacent segments merge or combine to form a single segment. This can occur when two segments come into contact and one segment assimilates or takes on the features of the other segment. Coalescence often simplifies the phonological structure of a word by reducing the number of distinct segments.

Coalescence in phonological process refers to the combination of two adjacent sounds into a single, new sound. This can occur when the two sounds are similar in articulation or when one sound is difficult to pronounce in combination with the other.

Types of Coalescence:

- Assimilation: One sound changes to become more like the adjacent sound. For example, the /t/ in "little" may assimilate to the /n/ in "and" to become [nd].
- Elision: One sound is dropped from the sequence. For example, the /b/ in "button" may be elided before the /t/ to become [btn].
- Metathesis: Two sounds are switched in order. For example, the /r/ and /l/ in "girl" may be metathesized to become [gril].
- Haplology: A sequence of the same sound is reduced to a single instance. For example, the double /l/ in "bellboy" may be reduced to a single /l/.

Examples of Coalescence:

- /t/ + /n/ -> [nd] in "button"
- /b/ + /t/ -> [btn] in "button"
- /r/ + /l/ -> [gril] in "girl"
- /l/ + /l/ -> [l] in "bellboy"

Causes of Coalescence:

- Ease of articulation: The new sound may be easier to pronounce than the original sequence.
- Similarity of articulation: The two sounds may be similar in terms of place, manner, or voicing.
- Phonological rules: Some languages have specific rules that govern coalescence.

Coalescence is a common phonological process that can occur in both native and non-native speakers. It plays a role in the evolution of language and can affect the pronunciation of words in a particular dialect or accent.