nasality
Honking speech trait
Nasality is the quality of sound produced when air resonates through the nasal passages.
In speech, nasality characterizes sounds like *m*, *n*, and *ng*, but excessive nasality—when non-nasal sounds acquire it—is often considered a speech defect or regional accent marker.
Singers work to control nasality, which can make a voice sound pinched or whiny: The singer's nasality grated on my ears.
Muscular mouth membrane
- vowelsLetters with unblocked airflow
- consonantsLetters that aren't vowels
- nasalizationSound routed through nostrils
- phonologyScience of language sounds
velar · palate · articulation · phoneme · allophones · assimilation · denasalization · velopharyngeal
Sharp vibrating sound
- honkLoud nasal blast
- adenoidalNasally obstructed vocal quality
- toneQuality of sound
- timbreSound's distinctive character
vibration · sonority · projection · buzzy · humming · drone · modulation · overtones
Lacking fresh air
- blockedPassage prevented or impeded
- sinusitisInflamed nasal cavities
- rhinitisInflamed nasal membrane
- allergiesAdverse immune responses
cold · flu · inflammation · sniffles · hayfever · pollen · decongestants · antihistamines
Nasal mucus discharge
- phlegmViscous airway secretion
- mucousSlime-producing, bodily
- boogerHardened nose mucus
- catarrhRespiratory mucus excess
discharge · secretion · rhinorrhea · snuffle · snotty · runny nose · drip · mucus membrane
velum
Muscular mouth membrane
- vowelsLetters with unblocked airflow
- consonantsLetters that aren't vowels
- nasalizationSound routed through nostrils
phonology · velar · palate · articulation · phoneme · allophones · assimilation · denasalization · velopharyngeal · soft palate
twang
Sharp vibrating sound
timbre · vibration · sonority · projection · buzzy · humming · drone · modulation · overtones · reedy
stuffy
Lacking fresh air
allergies · cold · flu · inflammation · sniffles · hayfever · pollen · decongestants · antihistamines · sneeze
snot
Nasal mucus discharge
catarrh · discharge · secretion · rhinorrhea · snuffle · snotty · runny nose · drip · mucus membrane · congested
- vocalizationsspeak, speaking, talking, whisper, shout
- voicevoice, vocal folds, utterance, sound, voice box
- Dictiondiction, enunciation, articulation, elocution, clear speech
- nasal soundstwang, humming
- timbretimbre, tone color, quality, resonance, overtones
- vocal cuesintonation, pitch, tone, inflection, prosody