Abstract
One of the more intriguing phenomena in Australian phonologies is nasal cluster dissimilation (NCD), in which two nasal+stop clusters interact in such a way that one cluster dissimilates, so that it is no longer a nasal+stop. The focus here is on NCD in which the second of two NC clusters loses its nasal. This kind is an order of magnitude more common than any other NCD pattern in Australian languages, with at least twenty-five Australian languages exhibiting it. This chapter provides the missing typological overview of NCD which has been called for since McConvell’s seminal study (1988b), primarily of languages in the Ngumpin family. Sections cover: McConvell’s classic account of progressive NCD nasal deletion in Gurindji; cross-linguistic parameters of variation; NCD triggers; NCD targets; the application of NCD over long distances and in multiple locations; and interactions of NCD with other processes.