Dissimilation - Types of Dissimilation

Types of Dissimilation

Dissimilation, like assimilation, may involve a change in pronunciation relative to a segment that is adjacent to the affected segment or at a distance, and may involve a change relative to a preceding or a following segment. As with assimilation, anticipatory dissimilation is much more common than lag dissimilation, but unlike assimilation, most dissimilation is triggered by non-contiguous segments. Also, while many kinds of assimilation have the character of a sound law, few dissimilations do; most are in the nature of accidents that befall a particular lexical item.

Anticipatory dissimilation at a distance (by far the most common):

• Latin *medio-diēs ("mid-day", i.e. "noon"; also "south") became merīdiēs. Latin venēnum "poison" > Italian veleno. This category includes a rare example of a systematic sound law, the dissimilation of aspirates in Greek and Sanskrit known as Grassmann's Law: *thi-thē-mi "I put" (with a reduplicated prefix) > Greek tí-thē-mi (τίθημι), *phakhu "thick" > Greek pákhus (πάχυς), *sekhō "I have" > *hekhō > Greek ékhō (ἔχω; cf. future *hekh-s-ō > héksō ἕξω). Some apparent cases are problematic, as in English "eksetera" for etcetera, which may rather be contamination from the numerous forms in eks- (or a combination of influences), though the common misspelling ect. implies dissimilation.

Anticipatory dissimilation from a contiguous segment (very rare):

• The change from fricative to stop articulation in a sequence of fricatives may belong here: German sechs /zeks/ (as evidenced by the spelling, the /k/ was previously a fricative). In Sanskrit in any original sequence of two sibilants the first became a stop (often with further developments): root vas- "dress", fut. vas-sya- > vatsya-; *wiś-s "clan" (nom.sg.) > *viťś > *viṭṣ > viṭ (final clusters are simplified); *wiś-su locative pl. > *viṭṣu > vikṣu. English amphitheater is very commonly pronounced ampitheater (though spelling pronunciation may be either some or all of the story here).

Lag dissimilation at a distance (fairly common):

• Latin rārus "rare" > Italian rado. Cardamom the spice commonly cardamon. In Middle English, in a whole list of words ending in -n but preceded by an apical consonant the -n changed to -m: seldom, whilom, random, venom. Eng. marble is ultimately from Latin marmor. Russian февраль /fevrˈalʲ/ "February" is from Lat. Februārius.

Lag dissimilation from a contiguous segment (very rare):

• Latin hominem ("man", acc.) > Old Spanish omne > omre > Spanish hombre
• Latin nominem ("name", acc.) > nomre > Sp. nombre
• English chimney (standard) > chim(b)ley (dialectal)
• Proto-Slavic *"sveboda" "freedom" > Slovak "sloboda"