Temporal aspect os articulatory movement for /s/-stop clusters

Cinefluorographic tracking of pellets on the tongue body, tongue tip, jaw, and lips of three subjects indicates that there are certain basic strategies used for initial /sp/, /st/ and /sk/ clusters. The data reveal an economy of effort in tongue movement, and support the concept of the tongue as a multiple articulator. In addition, the shorter fricative duration of /s/ before /p/ is seen to be a result of early lip closure relative to the occlusions for /st/ and /sk/, which are delayed due to tongue involvement with the /s/.