autoassimilation
|au-to-as-si-mi-la-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔː.toʊ.əˌsɪm.əˈleɪ.ʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔː.təʊ.əˌsɪm.əˈleɪ.ʃən/
self-driven assimilation
Etymology
'autoassimilation' is formed from the combining form 'auto-' from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self' and 'assimilation' from Latin 'assimilatio' (from 'assimilare') meaning 'making similar'.
'auto-' originates from Greek 'autos' and was combined with Latin-derived English 'assimilation' (from medieval Latin 'assimilatio'); the composite form 'autoassimilation' is a modern coinage built by productive prefixation in English.
The components originally meant 'self' and 'the act of making similar'; combined in modern usage they denote a 'self-driven process of becoming similar', applied in specialized technical senses.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
in linguistics, the process by which a sound (vowel or consonant) changes to become more like a neighboring sound within the same word or morpheme, occurring without external influence; essentially an internal or self-driven form of assimilation.
In the dialect study, researchers noted instances of autoassimilation where medial vowels adjusted to match adjacent consonants without external contact.
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Noun 2
in sociocultural contexts, a process by which an individual or group voluntarily and internally adopts features (language, customs, values) of another culture or social group, driven primarily by internal dynamics rather than coercion.
The immigrants' gradual autoassimilation was evident in their adoption of everyday speech patterns and social norms over several generations.
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Last updated: 2025/11/23 18:12