[m]→[ŋ]Certainty: 5/5Commonality: 3/5

Allophony Assimilation Velarization Germanic

Bilabial nasal to Velar nasal

The shift from the bilabial nasal [m] to the velar nasal [ŋ] (ng) is a process of regressive place assimilation. It occurs when a bilabial nasal anticipates a following velar consonant (like [k] or [ɡ]), causing the place of articulation to move from the lips back to the soft palate.

Phonetic Effects

Assimilation, Velarization

Language Examples

English (Synchronic) Germanic

I'm going [m]→[aɪŋ ˈɡoʊɪŋ]— Rapid speech assimilation of the bilabial nasal before the velar stop [ɡ].

alarm clock [m]→[əˈlɑːrŋ klɒk]— Assimilation before [k].

Related Transformations

Inverse: Labialization

More Assimilation Shifts

[a] → [ã] — Assimilatory Nasalization [a] → [∅] — Elision [a] → [ʔ] — Glottalization [a] → [ə] — Vowel Reduction [æ] → [ɛ] — Vowel Raising

Sources & References

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