Intrusive [w]

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In spoken English, [w] can occur as a transition between /uo͞oueuo͞oueuo͞oue/ and other vowels. For example, the word hour can be pronounced with the diphthong /ɑʊowowɑʊowowɑʊowow/ and may be followed by the vowel /ɚûrurɚûrurɚûrur/. In this combination, new hearing cuers may notice a [w] sound occuring between these two vowels. This consonant cound is referred to as instrusive [w]. It is, however, not a consonant phoneme. It is simply a transitional sound between the vowels. One should not cue the word  hour using handshape 6.

See Also