Intrusive stops in nasal-fricative clusters: an aerodynamic and acoustic investigation.

An aerodynamic investigation of the occurrence of intrusive stop consonants occurring in nasal-fricative consonant clusters in English revealed that intrusive stops were cued perceptually by silent gaps often followed by burst releases preceding the fricative consonant. In articulatory-aerodynamic terms, intrusive stops appear to result from a prolonged oral occlusion of the nasal stop which is released with a vigorous burst release just prior to complete formation of the following fricative slit constriction.