Re: English syllable structure

And Rosta wrote:


> /lf/ also conforms to Dirk's generalization (okay, I know he didn't
> originate it!) for some speakers (who have /Q/ rather than /ow/
> in _golf_. /lp/, /lk/ and (probably) /lm/ also conform for all
> speakers. So do /pt/ and /kt/ stems and, with a handful of exceptions,
> /ps/ and /ks/ stems. /ft/ too conforms except for dialects that
> had A-lengthening (e.g. _shaft_).

I'm confused: these clusters all look alveolar to me.  They
have either alveolar lateral /l/, alveolar spirant /s/, or
alveolar stop /t/.  The generalization was about non-alveolar
clusters, and I still think these are very few.
I agree that /mf/ is one, although most of your examples
are imitative; "bumph" is an arbitrary shortening of
"bum-fodder".

Additionally, if /tS/ and /dZ/ count as non-alveolar clusters,
the generalization doesn't work: pooch, page.

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