When second language learners pronounce violet as viloyet, ask as aks, they exhibit a morphophonemic change known as _______.

When second language learners pronounce violet as viloyet, ask as aks, they exhibit a morphophonemic change known as _______.

• A. Assimilation
• B. Dissimilation
• C. Metathesis
• D. Inversion

Answer: (C)

Metathesis is the swapping of sound positions within a word. When learners say "ask" as "aks," the /s/ and /k/ switch places, which is a classic metathesis pattern. Similarly, pronouncing "violet" as something like "viloyet" involves rearranging the internal sequence of sounds to fit the learner’s phonetic patterns. This kind of rearrangement is different from assimilation (sounds becoming more alike) or dissimilation (becoming more different), and it isn’t about reversing entire morphemes in a way that would define inversion. So the change described here is metathesis.

Metathesis is the swapping of sound positions within a word. When learners say "ask" as "aks," the /s/ and /k/ switch places, which is a classic metathesis pattern. Similarly, pronouncing "violet" as something like "viloyet" involves rearranging the internal sequence of sounds to fit the learner’s phonetic patterns. This kind of rearrangement is different from assimilation (sounds becoming more alike) or dissimilation (becoming more different), and it isn’t about reversing entire morphemes in a way that would define inversion. So the change described here is metathesis.