• The
insertion of a sound into the middle of a word is known as Epenthesis. For instance, something is
pronounced as [ÈsÃmpTIN] rather than [ÈsÃmTIN] and /p/ is
added between /m/ and /T/. In
inflations of regular plural and past endings, epenthesis will occur if /s/ is
added to sibilants and /d/ is added to
alveolar stops.
• Epenthesis can be very common for Mandarin speakers when consonant clusters
occur within a word or in the
linking of words.
• For examples, it would be difficult for Mandarin speakers to say “clear” as [klIr]. [k«lIr] is often heard because consonant cluster is rare in
Mandarin as well as other dialects spoken
in China and Taiwan.