The feature change that occurs when incomplete is pronounced is ________.

• A. [+alveolar] becomes [+velar]
• B. [+velar] becomes [+alveolar]
• C. [+labial] becomes [+alveolar]
• D. [+vowel] becomes [+consonant]

Answer: (A)

In connected speech, sounds often adjust their articulation to neighbor sounds to keep speech smooth. Here, the nasal in the first part of incomplete typically shifts its place of articulation to match the following velar consonant k. That means the nasal’s place feature changes from alveolar to velar, while it stays a nasal and voiced. So you’d hear the sequence as [ɪŋkəmˈpliːt], with the n pronounced as a velar nasal before the k. This explains why the correct option describes the alveolar place becoming velar. The other possible shifts would not reflect what actually happens in this context (a place change from labial or a switch to vowel/consonant), so they don’t fit the observed pronunciation.