assimilaation

Assimilation, sometimes spelled assimilaation in some texts, is a term used across several disciplines to describe the process by which a component is integrated into a larger system. It can refer to people and cultures, languages, mental schemas, or biological nutrients becoming part of an organism.

In sociology and anthropology, cultural assimilation describes how members of a minority group adopt the norms, values, and institutions of a dominant group, potentially reducing visible differences. The pace and outcomes vary, from voluntary acculturation to coercive policies. Some scholars distinguish assimilation from integration or acculturation, and critique its emphasis on homogeneity.

In linguistics, assimilation refers to how sounds, words, or grammatical forms become more like neighboring elements in a language contact situation. It can promote phonetic harmony, influence language shift, and contribute to borrowing or convergence between languages.

In psychology, assimilation is a term in Piagetian theory for the process by which individuals incorporate new information into existing cognitive schemas, as opposed to accommodation, which adjusts schemas to fit new data.

In biology and nutrition, assimilation denotes the uptake and incorporation of nutrients into tissues, cells, or organs. It is part of metabolism and differs from digestion or excretion; the term is also used to describe the efficiency with which organisms convert ingested material into usable body substances.