This book uses a very specific topic (consonant clusters) to sharpen the focus on general issues in spoken language structure, particularly syllable structure and phonotactics, as currently investigated by phonetics, phonology and psycholinguistics. It also examines the wider perspective of the structural role of vocalic and tonal elements. A particular strength of the book is the broad range of approaches covered: from diachronic phonological analysis and synchronic typology, via instrumental studies of speech production to online processing by the human perceptual system.