Voiced dental, alveolar and postalveolar nasals

Template:Short description Template:For Template:Redirect {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__|$B= Template:Ambox }} Template:Infobox IPA The voiced alveolar nasal is a type of consonantal sound used in numerous spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents dental, alveolar, and postalveolar nasals is Template:Angbr IPA, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is n.

The vast majority of languages have either an alveolar or dental nasal.Template:Citation needed There are a few languages that lack either sound but have {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, such as Yoruba, Palauan, and colloquial Samoan (however, these languages all have {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. An example of a language without {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is Edo). There are some languages (e.g. Rotokas) that lack both {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.

True dental consonants are relatively uncommon. In the Romance, Dravidian, and Australian languages, n is often called "dental" in the literature. However, the rearmost contact, which gives a consonant its distinctive sound, is actually alveolar or denti-alveolar. The difference between the Romance languages and English is not so much where the tongue contacts the roof of the mouth but the part of the tongue that makes contact. In English, it is the tip of the tongue (such sounds are termed apical), but in the Romance languages, it is the flat of the tongue just above the tip (such sounds are called laminal).

However, there are languages with true apical (or less commonly laminal) dental n. It is found in the Mapuche language of South America, where it is actually interdental. A true dental generally occurs allophonically before {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in the languages that have it, as in English tenth. Similarly, a denti-alveolar allophone occurs in languages that have denti-alveolar stops, as in Spanish cinta.

Some languages contrast laminal denti-alveolar and apical alveolar nasals. For example, in the Malayalam pronunciation of Nārāyanan, the first n is dental, the second is retroflex, and the third alveolar.

A postalveolar nasal occurs in a number of Australian Aboriginal languages, including Djeebbana and Jingulu.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

FeaturesEdit

File:Voiced alveolar nasal.svg

Features of the voiced alveolar nasal:

Template:Nasal stop

There are four specific variants of {{#invoke:IPA|main}}:
- Dental, which means it is articulated with either the tip or the blade of the tongue at the upper teeth, termed respectively apical and laminal.
- Denti-alveolar, which means it is articulated with the blade of the tongue at the alveolar ridge, and the tip of the tongue behind upper teeth.
- Alveolar, which means it is articulated with either the tip or the blade of the tongue at the alveolar ridge, termed respectively apical and laminal.
- Postalveolar, which means it is articulated with either the tip or the blade of the tongue behind the alveolar ridge, termed respectively apical and laminal.

Template:Voiced Template:Nasal Template:Central articulation Template:Pulmonic

OccurrenceEdit

Dental or denti-alveolarEdit

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Belarusian Template:Sfnp		lang}}/novy	main}}	'new'	Laminal denti-alveolar. Contrasts with palatalized form. See Belarusian phonology
Bulgarian Template:Sfnp		lang}}/žena	main}}	'woman'	Laminal denti-alveolar.
Catalan Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'to sing'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}.Template:Sfnp See Catalan phonology
Chuvash		шăна/šăna	[ʃɒn̪a]	'a fly'
Dutch	Belgian	lang}}	main}}	'niece'	Laminal denti-alveolar, sometimes simply alveolar. See Dutch phonology
English		month	main}}	'month'	Interdental. Allophone of {{#invoke:IPA\|main}} before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}.
Esperanto		lang}}	Template:No wrap	'one who hopes'	See Esperanto phonology
Finnish Template:Sfnp		lang}}	Template:No wrap	'beach'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}.
French Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'connection'	Laminal denti-alveolar, sometimes simply alveolar. See French phonology
Greek Template:Sfnp		lang}}/{{#invoke:Lang\|lang}}	main}}	'flower'	main}}. See Modern Greek phonology
Hindustani	Hindi	lang}} / najā	{{#invoke:IPA\|main}}	'new'	See Hindi–Urdu phonology
Hindustani	Urdu	lang}} / najā	{{#invoke:IPA\|main}}	'new'	See Hindi–Urdu phonology
Hmong	White Hmong	Template:Script / {{#invoke:Lang\|lang}}	main}}	'eat'
Hungarian Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'grandma'	Laminal denti-alveolar. See Hungarian phonology
Italian Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'to sing'	Laminal denti-alveolar.Template:Sfnp Allophone of {{#invoke:IPA\|main}} before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}.Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp See Italian phonology
Irish		lang}}	main}}	'nine'	Velarized.
Japanese		涙/namida	[n̪ämʲid̪ä]	'tear'	Laminal denti-alveolar. See Japanese phonology
Kashubian		lang}}	main}}	'shower'	Laminal denti-alveolar.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Kazakh		lang}}	main}}	'it seemed'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}.
Kyrgyz		lang}}/bedelinde	main}}	'in the authority'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}.
Latvian Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'night'	Laminal denti-alveolar. See Latvian phonology
Macedonian Template:Sfnp		lang}}/nos	main}}	'nose'	Laminal denti-alveolar. See Macedonian phonology
Malayalam		lang}}/panni	main}}	'pig'	Interdental for some speakers. See Malayalam phonology
Mapudungun Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'male cousin on father's side'	Interdental.Template:Sfnp
Marathi		lang}}/nakh	main}}	'fingernail'	See Marathi phonology
Nepali		lang}}	main}}	'fraɡrance'	Allophone of /n/ in neighbourhood of /t̪, t̪ʰ, d̪, d̪ʱ/.
Polish Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'nose'	main}}. See Polish phonology
Portuguese	GeneralTemplate:Sfnp Template:Sfnp	lang}}	Template:Audio-IPA	'nostril'	Laminal denti-alveolar. May nasalize preceding vowel (especially if stressed). Has Template:IPAblink as allophone, forming from clusters with Template:IPAblink, and before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}.
Portuguese	Vernacular Paulista<ref>Template:In lang Unesp's digital collection – The deleting of /d/ in the morpheme of the gerund in São José do Rio Preto's accent Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Template:In lang The deletting of /d/ in the morpheme of the gerund in São José do Rio Preto's accent – PDF</ref>	lang}}	main}}	'perceiving'	Laminal denti-alveolar. Allophone of Template:IPAslink after a stressed nasal vowel in more stigmatized varieties. See Portuguese phonology
Romanian Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'hazelnut'	Laminal denti-alveolar. See Romanian phonology
Russian		lang}}/naš	main}}	'our'	Laminal denti-alveolar, contrasts with palatalized form. See Russian phonology
Scottish Gaelic Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'nature'	Velarized. Contrasts with alveolar {{#invoke:IPA\|main}} and palatal {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}.
Serbo-Croatian		lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang\|lang}} /	main}}	'student'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}. See Serbo-Croatian phonology
Slovene		lang}}	main}}	'con artist'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}. See Slovene phonology
Spanish	Most dialects	lang}}	main}}	'to sing'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}. See Spanish phonology
Tamil		lang}}/nāḍu	main}}	'country'	See Tamil phonology
Telugu		lang}}	main}}	'To chew'	Occurs as an allophone of anuswara when followed by dental stops.
Ukrainian Template:Sfnp		lang}}/nash	main}}	'our'	Laminal denti-alveolar, contrasts with palatalized form. See Ukrainian phonology
Uzbek Template:Sfnp		nima/нимa/نىمه	[n̪imæ]	'what'	Laminal denti-alveolar.

AlveolarEdit

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Adyghe		lang}}/nėfnė	main}}	'light'
Arabic	Standard	lang}}/nūr	main}}	'light'	See Arabic phonology
Assyrian		ܢܘܪܐ/nōra	main}}]	'mirror'
Basque		lang}}	main}}	'I'
Bengali		lang}}/naak/nāk	main}}	'nose'	See Bengali phonology
Cantonese		年/nìhn	[ni:n˨˩]	'year'	See Cantonese phonology
Catalan Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'snow'	See Catalan phonology
Czech		lang}}	main}}	'on'	See Czech phonology
Dutch Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'night'	See Dutch phonology
English		nice	Template:Audio-IPA	'nice'	See English phonology
Finnish		lang}}	main}}	'I give'	See Finnish phonology
German		fünf	main}}	'five'	See German phonology
Georgian Template:Sfnp		lang}}/k'ani	main}}	'skin'
Greek		lang}}/{{#invoke:Lang\|lang}}	main}}	'communion wine'	See Modern Greek phonology
Gujarati		lang}}/nahi	main}}	'no'	See Gujarati phonology
Hawaiian Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'to shake'	See Hawaiian phonology
Hebrew		lang}}/navon	main}}	'wise'	See Modern Hebrew phonology
Italian Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'dwarf'	See Italian phonology
Irish		lang}}	main}}	'peak'	Palatalized.
Khmer		lang}} {{#invoke:Lang\|lang}}	main}}	'kingdom'	See Khmer phonology
Korean		lang}}/{{#invoke:Lang\|lang}}	main}}	'Country'	See Korean phonology
Kurdish	Northern	lang}}	main}}	'animal'	See Kurdish phonology
	Central	{{#invoke:Lang\|lang}}/gîyânlabar	main}}
	Southern	{{#invoke:Lang\|lang}}/gîyânlabar	main}}
Kyrgyz Template:Sfnp		lang}}/banan	main}}	'banana'
Malay		lang}}	main}}	'cooked rice'
Malayalam		lang}}	main}}	'elephant'	See Malayalam phonology
Maltese		lang}}	main}}	'truncheon'
Mandarin		難/难/{{#invoke:Lang\|lang}}	main}}	'difficult'	See Mandarin phonology
Mapudungun Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'enough'
Ngwe	Mmockngie dialect	{{#invoke:IPA\|main}}		'sun'
Nepali		lang}}/nakkal	main}}	'imitation'	See Nepali phonology
Odia		lang}}/nāka	main}}	'nose'
Okinawan		lang}}	main}}	'potato'	Can occur as onset, nucleus, or coda. Allophone of [m], [ŋ], and [ɴ] in coda, but phonemic elsewhere.
Persian		نون/nun	[nun]	'bread'
Pirahã		lang}}	main}}	'you'
Polish Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'punch'	main}} (which is normally laminal denti-alveolar Template:IPAblink) before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}. See Polish phonology
Punjabi		ਨੱਕ/nakk	main}}	'nose'
Scottish Gaelic Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'breath'	main}} and palatal {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}.
Slovak		lang}}	main}}	'on'
Slovene Template:Sfnp	Common	lang}}	main}}	'news'
Slovene Template:Sfnp	Some speakers	lang}}	main}}	'horse'	See Slovene phonology
Spanish Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'nothing'	See Spanish phonology
Swahili		ndizi	[n̩dizi]	'banana'
Tagalog		lang}}	main}}	'thin'	Tagalog phonology
Thai		lang}}/{{#invoke:Lang\|lang}}	[nɔːn]	'sleep'	See Thai phonology
Toki Pona		noka	[noka]	'foot'
Turkish		lang}}	main}}	'reason'	See Turkish phonology
Tamil		lang}}/manasu	main}}	'mind', 'heart'	See Tamil phonology
Vietnamese Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'you're going'	Occurs only before alveolar consonants. See Vietnamese phonology
Welsh		lang}}	main}}	'grandmother'	See Welsh phonology
Western Apache		lang}}	Template:Audio-IPA	'cache'
West Frisian		lang}}	main}}	'neck'
Yi		lang}}/{{#invoke:Lang\|lang}}	main}}	'hurt'
Zapotec	Tilquiapan Template:Sfnp	nanɨɨ	main}}	'lady'	contrasts with a fortis alveolar nasal that is not represented in the orthography.

PostalveolarEdit

Template:See also

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Catalan Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}<ref>Valencian pronunciation: {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}. What are transcribed {{#invoke:IPA\|main}} in Catalan are actually alveolo-palatal sibilants {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}.</ref>	'belly'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}, may be alveolo-palatal instead.Template:Sfnp See Catalan phonology
Djeebbana Template:Sfnp		barnmarramarlón̠a	main}}	'they two swam'	main}}.Template:Sfnp
English	Australian Template:Sfnp	enrol	main}}	'enrol'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}.Template:Sfnp See Australian English phonology
Italian Template:Sfnp		lang}}	main}}	'angel'	main}} before {{#invoke:IPA\|main}}.Template:Sfnp See Italian phonology

VariableEdit

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
English	Scottish Template:Sfnp	nice	{{#invoke:IPA\|main}}	'nice'	Laminal denti-alveolar for some speakers, alveolar for other speakers.Template:Sfnp Template:Sfnp
English	Welsh Template:Sfnp	nice	{{#invoke:IPA\|main}}	'nice'
German	Standard Template:Sfnp	lang}}	main}}	'lance'	Varies between laminal denti-alveolar, laminal alveolar and apical alveolar.Template:Sfnp See Standard German phonology
Norwegian	Urban East Template:Sfnp	lang}}	main}}	'man'	Varies between laminal denti-alveolar and laminal alveolar.Template:Sfnp See Norwegian phonology
Swedish	Central StandardTemplate:Sfnp	lang}}	main}}	'now'	Varies between laminal denti-alveolar and alveolar, with the former being predominant.Template:Sfnp See Swedish phonology