SYLLABIC

CONSTRAIN
TS

 Although there seems

to
be no systematic
rule explaining all the
possible combinations,
there are a number of
constraints

HOMORGANIC NASAL RULE

requires

that a nasal +
plosive be articulated at
the same place

/bUmp/
/m/ (bilabial nasal) + /p/ (bilabial voiceless
plosive)
/rent/
/n/ (alveolar nasal) /t/ (alveolar voiceless
plosive)
/bk/
// (velar nasal) + /k/ (velar voiceless plosive)
in bank we say /_k/ and not */_nk/

HOMORGANIC NASAL
RULE
valid

for termination clusters

as there is no nasal + plosive
onset cluster

mp

nt

 Reverse cluster plosive + nasal

is impossible in English whether
in onset or termination

mp
pm

nt
nt

k
k

Misleading in this respect since

Knitting
Pneumonia
plosive+nasal

SONORITY RULE

the further from a syllable nucleus a

phoneme is, the less sonorous it must
be