phonotactics (n.)

A term used in PHONOLOGY to refer to the sequential ARRANGEMENTS (or tactic behavior) of phonological UNITS which occur in a language – what counts as a phonologically well-formed word. In English, for example, CONSONANT sequences such as /fs/ and /spm/ do not occur INITIALLY in a word, and there are many restrictions on the possible consonant+ VOWEL combinations which may occur, e.g.  occurs only after some short vowels  . These ‘sequential constraints’ can be stated in terms of phonotactic rules. Generative phonotactics is the view that no phonological principles can refer to morphological structure; any phonological patterns which are sensitive to morphology (e.g. affixation) are represented only in the morphological component of the grammar, not in the phonology.