NYSTCE English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Practice Test

What occurs when a voiceless consonant changes to a voiced consonant due to surrounding sounds?

1. Voicing

2. Devoicing

3. Assimilation

4. Dissimilation

The correct answer is: Voicing

The process described in the question, where a voiceless consonant changes to a voiced consonant due to the influence of surrounding sounds, is known as voicing. This phenomenon occurs in linguistic contexts where sound modification happens based on adjacent phonetic environments. For instance, if a voiceless consonant like /p/ is followed by a voiced sound, such as /b/, the /p/ can become voiced to match the voiced quality of the neighboring sound. This adaptation enhances the fluidity and ease of pronunciation in connected speech. In contrast, devoicing refers to a situation where a voiced consonant becomes voiceless due to surrounding sounds. Assimilation generally refers to a broader category of sound changes where a sound becomes more like a neighboring sound, which can include voicing but also other phonetic characteristics. Dissimilation is an entirely different process where two similar sounds become less similar to ease pronunciation. Thus, the specific process of a voiceless consonant becoming voiced is most accurately represented by voicing.