Which term describes the insertion of a consonant sound between two vowels in rapid speech, producing a new syllable boundary?

• A. Intrusion
• B. Elision
• C. Liaison
• D. Lexical set

Answer: (A)

When two vowels come together in rapid speech, inserting a consonant to break the sequence creates a syllable boundary. This insertion is called intrusion. It’s a type of epenthesis, where a consonant is added to ease pronunciation and mark the division between syllables, turning a vowel-vowel run into a V-C-V pattern. The exact sound added can vary (often a quick stop or liquid), depending on language and context, but the core idea is the same: a consonant appears between the vowels to create two syllables instead of one long vowel run. Elision involves dropping a sound, not inserting one, and liaison is about linking sounds across word boundaries rather than adding a consonant inside a vowel sequence, so they don’t fit this description. Lexical set is unrelated.