Nasal Aspiration: d sound+n sound
nasal aspiration illustration
At its simplest, a nasal aspiration is a combination d+n sound that is produced by stopping the air using the tongue position of a d sound, and then releasing the air as an n sound. This means that the aspiration of the d sound is released through the nose instead of the mouth.
What is the velum?
The velum is the flap in the back of the mouth that allows or prohibits the passage of air through the nasal tract (and out the nose) instead of out through the mouth. The velum is closed for all of the sounds of American English except the three nasal consonants (the n sound, m sound, and ng sound).
A nasal aspiration begins with the velum closed, but ends with it open. This occurs when an n sound immediately follows a d sound.
Creating a nasal aspiration
During the beginning of a normal d sound the front of the tongue presses against the back of the tooth ridge and the sides of the teeth (this is the same position the tongue takes during an n sound). Since the velum is closed during the beginning of the d sound, no air can leave the vocal tract. When a d sound is aspirated normally, the tongue releases from the tooth ridge and air exits through the mouth. A nasal aspiration occurs when the tongue is held in the stopped position of a d sound and then, after the air is stopped, the velum opens, and an n sound is produced.
The syllabic n
If the tongue is released from the tooth ridge before the velums opens, a vowel sound will be added between the d sound and n sound. It is impossible to create the nasal aspiration when this occurs. It is not necessary for all syllables that include an n sound to also include a vowel sound. When an n sound occurs in a syllable without a vowel sound, it is called a syllabic n. When produced correctly, a nasal aspiration can occur simultaneously with a syllabic n. This often happens when a word that ends with the d sound is contracted with the word not.
Practice
The location of the nasal aspiration is underlined in the following examples:
Nasal aspirations also spontaneously occur when a word that ends in a d sound is followed by a word that begins with an n sound. Practicing nasal aspirations within words will help non-native speakers become more comfortable when situations that require linking these sounds occur.
The location of the nasal aspiration is underlined in the following examples: