Voiced velar nasal

The voiced velar nasal, also known as eng, engma, or agma (from Greek {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:Transliteration 'fragment'), is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. It is the sound of ng in English sing as well as n before velar consonants as in English and ink. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is Template:Angbr IPA, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is N. The IPA symbol Template:Angbr IPA is similar to Template:Angbr IPA, the symbol for the retroflex nasal, which has a rightward-pointing hook extending from the bottom of the right stem, and to Template:Angbr IPA, the symbol for the palatal nasal, which has a leftward-pointing hook extending from the bottom of the left stem.

While almost all languages have {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as phonemes, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is rarer.<ref>Template:Harvp. The oral counterparts {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are found together in almost all languages</ref> Half of the 469 languages surveyed in Template:Harvp had a velar nasal phoneme; as a further curiosity, many of them limit its occurrence to the syllable coda. The velar nasal does not occur in many of the languages of the Americas, the Middle East, or the Caucasus, but it is extremely common among Australian Aboriginal languages, languages of Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asian and Southeast Asian languages, and Polynesian languages. In many languages that do not have the velar nasal as a phoneme, such as the Romance languages, it occurs as an allophone of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} before velar consonants. This kind of assimilation can even be found in languages with phonemic voiced velar nasals, such as English. An example of this phenomenon is the word income; its underlying representation, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, can be realized as either {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.

An example of a language that lacks a phonemic or allophonic velar nasal is Russian, in which {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is pronounced as laminal denti-alveolar Template:IPAblink even before velar consonants.Template:Sfnp

Some languages have the pre-velar nasal,<ref>Instead of "pre-velar", it can be called "advanced velar", "fronted velar", "front-velar", "palato-velar", "post-palatal", "retracted palatal" or "backed palatal".</ref> which is articulated slightly more front compared with the place of articulation of the prototypical velar nasal, though not as front as the prototypical palatal nasal - see that article for more information.

Conversely, some languages have the post-velar nasal,<ref>Instead of "post-velar", it can be called "retracted velar", "backed velar", "pre-uvular", "advanced uvular" or "fronted uvular".</ref> which is articulated slightly behind the place of articulation of a prototypical velar nasal, though not as back as the prototypical uvular nasal.

Features

Features of the voiced velar nasal:

Occurrence

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Albanian		lang}}	main}}	'because'
AleutTemplate:Sfnp		lang}}/{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}	'five'
Arabic	Hejazi Template:Citation needed	lang}}/Template:Transliteration	main}}	'brazier'	main}} before velar stops. See Hejazi Arabic phonology
Armenian	EasternTemplate:Sfnp	lang}}/Template:Transliteration	main}}	'friend'	main}} before velar consonants
Assamese		lang}}/Template:Transliteration	main}}	'color'
Asturian		lang}}	main}}	'no'	Allophone of /n/ in word-final position, either before consonants other than velar stops or vowel-beginning words or before a pause.
Bambara		lang}}	main}}	'guitar'
Bashkir		lang}} / Template:Transliteration	Template:Audio-IPA	'one thousand'
Basque		lang}}	main}}	'leg'
Bengali		lang}}/Template:Transliteration	main}}	'color'
Bulgarian<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation		CitationClass=web }}</ref>|| {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/Template:Transliteration || {{#invoke:IPA|main}} || 'thin' ||
Burmese		ငရုတ်	main}}	'chilli'
Cantonese		lang}}/Template:Transliteration	main}}	'raise'	See Cantonese phonology
CatalanTemplate:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'blood'	See Catalan phonology
Cebuano		lang}}	main}}	'why'
Chamorro		lang}}	main}}	'duck'
Chukchi		lang}}/Template:Transliteration	main}}	'three'
Czech		lang}}	main}}	'tank'	See Czech phonology
Dinka		lang}}	main}}	'who'
Danish		lang}}	main}}	'song'	See Danish phonology
DutchTemplate:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'fear'	See Dutch phonology
Eastern Min		lang}}/Template:Transliteration	[ŋi53]	'suspect'
English		sing	Template:Audio-IPA	'sing'	Restricted to the syllable coda. See English phonology
Faroese		lang}}	main}}	'meadow'
Fijian		lang}}	main}}	'child'
Finnish		lang}}	main}}	'cloth'	main}}. See Finnish phonology
FrenchTemplate:Sfnp	Standard	lang}}	Template:Audio-IPA	'camping'	Occurs only in words borrowed from English or Chinese. See French phonology
	Southern France	lang}}	Template:Audio-IPA	'bread'	For many speakers, [ŋ] acts as a substitute for the nasalization of the preceding vowel, which may still be partially nasal. It is one of the most typical traits of varieties of French influenced by an Occitan substrate.
Galician		lang}}	main}}	'one' (f.)
Gan		lang}}/Template:Transliteration	main}}	'tooth'
German		lang}}	main}}	'long'	See Standard German phonology
Georgian		ანგარება/angareba	main}}	'egoism/greed'	Allophone of /n/ before /k/ and /g/ in colloquial or fast speech.
Greek		lang}} / Template:Transliteration	main}}	'Stress'	See Modern Greek phonology
Hakka	Sixian	lang}}/Template:Transliteration	main}}	'I'
Hebrew	Standard	lang}}/Template:Transliteration	main}}	'English language'	main}} before velar stops. See Modern Hebrew phonology
	Sephardi	lang}}/Template:Transliteration	main}}	'Ayin'	See Sephardi Hebrew
Hiligaynon		lang}}	main}}	'crazy/mentally unstable'
Hindustani	Hindi	lang}}/{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/Template:Transliteration	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	'color'	See Hindustani phonology
	Urdu	lang}}/Template:Transliteration
	Fiji Hindustani	lang}}
Ho		lang}}	main}}	'big'
Hungarian		lang}}	main}}	'shirt'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. See Hungarian phonology
Icelandic		lang}}	main}}	'tunnel'	See Icelandic phonology
Ilocano		lang}}	main}}	'to chew'
Inuktitut		lang}} / Template:Transliteration	main}}	'dog'
Inuvialuktun		lang}}	main}}	'snores'
Irish		lang}}	main}}	'their voice'	Occurs word-initially as a result of the consonantal mutation eclipsis. See Irish phonology
ItalianTemplate:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'also'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. See Italian phonology
Itelmen		lang}}	main}}	'one'
Japanese	Standard	lang}} / Template:Transliteration	main}}	'the South Pole'	See Japanese phonology
	Eastern dialectsTemplate:Sfnp	lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}	'key'
Javanese		lang}}	main}}	stink	Additional /ŋ/ caused by vowel after /ŋ/ sounding
Jin	Yuci	lang}}/Template:Transliteration	main}}	'I'
KagayanenTemplate:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'older sister'
Karelian<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation		CitationClass=web }}</ref> || {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} || {{#invoke:IPA|main}} || 'fishing rod' || Occurs only before {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
Karen	Eastern Pwo	lang}}	main}}	'enter into a heated argument'
	Western Pwo	lang}}	main}}	'stupid; not very intelligent'
Kazakh		lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}	'thousand'
Kyrgyz		lang}}/{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}
Ket		lang}}/Template:Transliteration	main}}	'to damn'
Khasi		lang}}	main}}	'honey'
Khmer		Template:Ubl	Template:Ubl	Template:Ubl	See Khmer phonology
Korean		lang}} / Template:Transliteration	main}}	'window frost'	See Korean phonology
Kurdish	Northern	lang}}	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	'war'	See Kurdish phonology
	Central	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
	Southern
Luganda		lang}}	main}}	'hornbill'
LuxembourgishTemplate:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'nobody'	See Luxembourgish phonology
Macedonian		lang}}/Template:Transliteration	main}}	'English'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Malay	Malaysian and Indonesian	lang}}	main}}	'wake up'
	Kelantan-Pattani	sini	[si.niŋ]	'here'	See Kelantan-Pattani Malay
	Terengganu	ayam	[a.jaŋ]	'chicken'	See Terengganu Malay
MalayalamTemplate:Sfnp		മാങ്ങ/mān̄n̄a	main}}	'mango'
Mandarin	Standard	lang}}/Běijīng	main}}	'Beijing'	Restricted to the syllable coda. See Mandarin phonology
	Sichuanese	我/ngo3	main}}	'I'
Marathi		lang}}/ranga	main}}	'colour'	See Marathi phonology
Mari		еҥ/eng	main}}	'human'
Minangkabau		mangarasau	main}}	'nonsense'
Mongolian		lang}}	main}}	'sky'
Nepali		lang}}/nang	main}}	'nail'	See Nepali phonology
Nganasan		ӈаӈ/ngang	main}}	'mouth'
Nivkh		ңамг/ngamg	main}}	'seven'
North Frisian	Mooring	lang}}	main}}	'stove'
Northern Min		外/ngui	main}}	'outside'
Northern SámiTemplate:Sfnp	Eastern Finnmark	lang}}	main}}	'behind'
	Western Finnmark	lang}}	main}}	'many'	[ŋ] has merged with [ɲ] in Western Finnmark, except before velar stops.
Norwegian		lang}}	main}}	'hallway'	See Norwegian phonology
Odia		lang}}/ebang	main}}	'and'
Okinawan		lang}}	main}}	'to'	Allophone of [n] before velars, before consonants in an onset cluster, and also word-finally in some dialects.
Ottoman Turkish		lang}}/yeŋi		'new'
Panjabi	Gurmukhi	ਰੰਗ/rang	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	'color'
	Shahmukhi	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/rang
Persian	Iranian Persian		main}}		main}} before velar plosives. See Persian phonology
Pipil		lang}}	main}}	'later'
PolishTemplate:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'bank'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA|main}}; post-palatal before {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp See Polish phonology
Portuguese		lang}}	main}}	'mango'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, when the speaker does not delete the {{#invoke:IPA|main}} by fusing it with the preceding vowel.
Occitan	Provençal	lang}}	main}}	'wine'
Rapanui		lang}}	main}}	'bay'	Sometimes written Template:Angbr in Rapanui
Romanian	Țara Moților TransylvanianTemplate:Sfnp	lang}}	main}}	'dog'	Allophone of /n/ before /k, g, h/ in Standard Romanian. See Romanian phonology
Samoan		lang}}	main}}	'language'
Serbo-Croatian<ref name="Landau1999">Template:Harvp</ref>		lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}	'pause'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref name="Landau1999"/> See Serbo-Croatian phonology
Seri		lang}}	main}}	'Seri people'
Shona		n'anga	main}}	'traditional healer'
Slovene		lang}}	main}}	'tank'
Southern Min	Hokkien	黃/n̂g	main}}	'yellow'
	Teochew	黃/ng5	[ŋ̍55]
SpanishTemplate:Sfnp	All dialects	lang}}	main}}	'Sunday'	Allophone of /n/ before velar consonants. See Spanish phonology
	Galician Spanish, Andalusian, Canarian, Andean, and most Caribbean dialects	alquitrán	main}}]	'tar'	Allophone of /n/ in word-final position regardless of what follows.
Swahili		ng'ombe	main}}	'cow'
Swedish	Standard	lang}}	main}}	'nothing'	See Swedish phonology
	Southern Västerbotten<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	ngiv	[ˈŋiːv]	'knife'
Tagalog		lang}}	main}}	'opening one's mouth'
Tamil		இங்கே/in̄gē	main}}	'here'
Telugu		lang}}	main}}	'Literature'	Allophone of anuswara when followed by velar stop
Tibetan	Standard	ང/nga	[ŋa˩˧]	'I'
Thai		lang}}/ngaan	main}}	'work'
Nuer - Thok Nath		lang}}	main}}	'who?' or 'Is who?'
Tongan		lang}}	main}}	'man'
Tuamotuan		lang}}	main}}	'sky'
Tundra Nenets		lang}}/ŋəwa	main}}	'head'
Tupi		monhang	[mɔɲaŋ]	'to make'	See Tupian Phonology
Turkmen		lang}}	main}}	'thousand'
Tyap		lang}}	main}}	'child'
Uzbek		lang}}	main}}	'thousand'
Venetian		lang}}	main}}	'hand'
VietnameseTemplate:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'ivory'	See Vietnamese phonology
Welsh		lang}}	main}}	'between'
West Frisian		lang}}	main}}	'king'
Wu		五/ng	main}}	'five'
Xhosa		lang}}	main}}	'hadada ibis'
Xiang		熬/ngau	main}}	'to boil'
Yi		lang}}/{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}	'I'
Yup'ik		lang}}	main}}	'animal'
Zapotec	TilquiapanTemplate:Sfnp	yan	main}}	'neck'	main}}

See also

• Index of phonetics articles
• Eng (letter)

References

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External links

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