denasalization
Losing nasal quality
Denasalization is the loss or reduction of nasal quality in speech sounds.
When someone with a stuffed nose says "I have a code" instead of "I have a cold," that's denasalization—air that should flow through the nasal passages is blocked.
The term appears in linguistics and speech pathology to describe both temporary conditions and systematic sound changes in languages.
Muscular mouth membrane
- velopharyngealRelating to palate-throat closure
- oralOf the mouth
- consonantsLetters that aren't vowels
- vowelsLetters with unblocked airflow
phoneme · allophone · articulation · obstruction · resonance · aperture · glottis · phonation
Excessive nasal voice quality
- hyponasalityReduced nasal resonance
- adenoidectomyExcision of nasopharyngeal tonsils
- speech therapyTreatment for communication disorders
- dysarthriaMotor speech muscle disorder
Absorbing into a whole
- dissimilationSounds becoming less alike
- neutralizationCanceling opposing forces
- elisionDropped sounds in speech
- metathesisSound reordering in words
deletion · phonological · reduction · diachronic · synchronic
Excessive accumulation causing blockage
- sinusitisInflamed nasal cavities
- rhinitisInflamed nasal membrane
- polypsFixed aquatic invertebrates
- adenoidsNasal lymphoid tissue
deviated septum · turbinates · blocked · stuffy · mucus · decongestants · antihistamines · inflammation
velum
Muscular mouth membrane
- velopharyngealRelating to palate-throat closure
- oralOf the mouth
- consonantsLetters that aren't vowels
vowels · phoneme · allophone · articulation · obstruction · resonance · aperture · glottis · phonation · aspiration
hypernasality
Excessive nasal voice quality
- hyponasalityReduced nasal resonance
- adenoidectomyExcision of nasopharyngeal tonsils
- speech therapyTreatment for communication disorders
assimilation
Absorbing into a whole
- dissimilationSounds becoming less alike
- neutralizationCanceling opposing forces
- elisionDropped sounds in speech
metathesis · deletion · phonological · reduction · diachronic · synchronic
congestion
Excessive accumulation causing blockage
adenoids · deviated septum · turbinates · blocked · stuffy · mucus · decongestants · antihistamines · inflammation · postnasal
- French phoneticsliaison, elision, schwa, phonemes, silent letters
- Sound ChangeGreat Vowel Shift, ablaut, umlaut, nasalization, voicing
- sound changesassimilation, elision, deletion, voicing, nasalization
- speech errorsslip of the tongue, mispronunciation, malapropism, malapropisms, spoonerism