Abstract
This study examines syllabic and morphological determinants of synonymic intrusions such as BEHORTMENT, an inadvertent combination of BEHAVIOR and DEPORTMENT. Statistical analyses of 133 synonymic intrusions in German suggested that syllables are composed of at least three subunits: segments (consonants and vowels), consonant clusters, and a subunit consisting of vowel and final consonant(s). Similar analyses of 46 synonymic intrusions in English suggested that mechanisms underlying this class of error may be universal or common to all speakers. A hierarchic model of the serial order of speech was advanced to explain the structure of words and syllables suggested by these findings. Independent support for the model was noted in the rules governing abbreviations, Pig Latin, poetic rhyme, and other types of errors in speech.
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