【正确答案】正确答案：Speech is a continuous process, so the vocal organs do not move from one sound segment to the next in a series of separate steps. Rather, sounds continually show the influence of their neighbors. Assimilation refers to the change of a sound as a result of the influence of an adjacent sound, which is more specifically called "contact" or "contiguous" assimilation.(4 points)There are two possibilities of assimilation; if a following sound is influencing a preceding sound, we call it "regressive assimilation" ; the converse process, in which a preceding sound is influencing a following sound, we call it "progressive assimilation". The assimilation processes at work in language could be explained by the "theory of least effort" , that is, in speaking we tend to exert as little effort as possible so that we do not want to vary too often places of articulation in uttering a sequence of sounds.(6 points) In the above words; the vowel of each word is " nasalized" because of the influence of the nasal consonant. In producing a nasal the soft palate is lowered to allow airflow through the nasal tract.(2 points)When[*]is followed by[n], the soft palate will begin to lower itself during the articulation of[*]so that it is ready for the following nasal. The sound[e],[ai]and[*], are articulated with the tip of the tongue against the lower alveolar, while[n]is articulated with the tip of the tongue against the upper alveolar. To change from the last position to the next, the former sound will be influenced by the latter sound.(8 points)

【答案解析】解析：考查同化。同化指能使一个音带上它相邻音的部分或所有特征，因而使得这两个音变得相似的音系规则。主要包括顺同化和逆同化。前者是指在这个过程里前面的相邻音影响了其后音素的发音，使两者相似；逆同化是指这样一种过程，在这个过程里后面的相邻音影响了其前面音素的发音，使两者发音相似。