nasal consonant
- noun
- /ˈneɪzəl ˈkɒnsənt/
- Specialized
:
consonante nasal
- In phonetics, a nasal consonant is produced when the mouth is closed and air flows out through the nose.
Examples
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Indeed, the occlusive and nasal consonants are typical among the earliest developing sounds, with an initial advantage for anteriorly produced sounds over dental or velar ones, such as g (MacNeilage & Davis, 2000).
Academic text (2012) -
In older children, the tendency to produce words that begin with bilabial and nasal consonants decreased.
Academic text (2012) -
Returning to Spanish, it is well known that Classical Latin stressed /o/ failed to produce a diphthong in certain words, especially when followed by a nasal consonant.
Academic text (2000) -
The sounds 'm' and 'n' are examples of nasal consonants that allow airflow through the nose.
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Words like 'man' and 'sing' contain nasal consonants which are essential in many languages.
Synonyms
A sound made by letting air pass through the nose while the mouth is closed
How Nasal
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a consonant sound produced with airflow through the nose' is compositionally derived from combining 'nasal' (relating to the nose or nasal airflow) with 'consonant' (a speech sound made by obstructing airflow). This is a literal, cross-linguistically common descriptive term in phonetics, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The term nasal consonant comes from its parts: nasal meaning 'nose' and consonant meaning a speech sound. Imagine humming with your mouth closed and feeling the sound in your nose, as in m, n, and ng, so the name shows these sounds are made 'through the nose' while the 'mouth is closed'.
