The morphophonemic process observed when the plural inflection of pictures, frames, malls, clothes is pronounced as [z] is called

The morphophonemic process observed when the plural inflection of pictures, frames, malls, clothes is pronounced as [z] is called

• A. Insertion
• B. Deletion
• C. Assimilation
• D. Metathesis

Answer: (C)

Voicing assimilation is at work here. The plural ending -s changes its pronunciation to match the voicing of the sound right before it. When the stem ends in a voiced sound, the plural marker is realized as a voiced [z], as in frames, malls, and clothes. This happens because the voice feature spreads to the adjacent sound to keep the sequence smooth and easier to pronounce. In English, the plural morpheme -s can be [s] after voiceless sounds, [z] after voiced sounds, or [ɪz]/[əz] after sibilants; all of these illustrate the same idea—one sound adjusts to resemble a neighboring one.

Voicing assimilation is at work here. The plural ending -s changes its pronunciation to match the voicing of the sound right before it. When the stem ends in a voiced sound, the plural marker is realized as a voiced [z], as in frames, malls, and clothes. This happens because the voice feature spreads to the adjacent sound to keep the sequence smooth and easier to pronounce. In English, the plural morpheme -s can be [s] after voiceless sounds, [z] after voiced sounds, or [ɪz]/[əz] after sibilants; all of these illustrate the same idea—one sound adjusts to resemble a neighboring one.