In this study the intra- and inter-gestural timing and coordination in English closed syllables and Taiwanese checked syllables is examined. Kinematic data elicited from a repetition task reveals that the vowel is co-articulated with the onset and coda consonants to a greater extent in Taiwanese checked syllables than English closed syllables; for Taiwanese greater overlap is observed between the hetero-syllabic coda and onset consonants. The different gestural overlap patterns in Taiwanese and English are accounted for with reference to the language-specific gestural pattern.