Introducing English Linguistics

Voicing assimilation with English -s: 
The inflection -s in English occurs in three contexts: as a third person sin-
gular present tense verb form (take
s), as a plural marker on nouns (dishes),
and as a marker of possession (man’
s). But while each inflection is spelled
as -s or -es, the inflections have three different pronunciations.
Two of the pronunciations, [s] and [z], are the result of voicing assimila-
tion between the consonant ending the base to which these inflections
are attached and the inflections themselves. If the base ends with a voiced
consonant or a vowel (all vowels in English are voiced), then the inflection
will be voiced [z]:
hose [hoυz] or [həυz]
feels [fiəlz]
child’s [tʃaildz]
doors [doυɹz] or [dυəz]
gangs [gæŋz]
If the stem ends with a voiceless consonant, the inflection will be voice-
less:
walks [wɔks]
fights [faits]
fifths [fifθs]
lips [lips]
huffs [h fs]
With stems ending with the consonants /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, / /, /tʃ/, and /d /, neither
[s] nor [z] is possible, since a consonant cluster such as [ss] or [d z] is not
possible in English. As a result, it is necessary to insert an [i] or [ə] between
the consonant ending the stem and the inflection [z]:
hisses [hisiz] or [hisəz]
fizzes [fiziz]
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INTRODUCING ENGLISH LINGUISTICS

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washes [wɔʃiz]
George’s [d oυɹd iz]
churches [tʃtʃiz]