Articulatory properties of /s/ in selected consonant clusters

The objective of the study was to delineate articulatory characteristics of /s/ production in selected consonant clusters. The /s/ consonant was embedded in meaningful /s/C1/ae/C2 words (C1 = /p, m, t, n, 1/, C2 = /t, k/) in a sentence. They were presented randomly. Information on linguapalatal contact, lip and mandible positions, and speech spectra was obtained simultaneously every 10 ms from three normal adult speakers of English. Analysis of these data revealed (1) unique medial /s/ grooves were formed in most instances, (2) for all the clusters, the minimum /s/ groove was first established near the onset of stable /s/ frication noise, (3) the groove width in the consonant was similar to that for the prestressed, prevocalic /s/ despite substantially reduced /s/ frication duration for the consonant cluster, (4) tongue occlusions for the alveolar consonants /t, n, l/ appeared anterior to the minimum /s/ groove. The results indicate precise medial groove formation during /s/ production with some interestin...