nasalizations

Nasalization is a phonetic process where the articulation of a sound causes air to escape through the nose as well as the mouth. This typically occurs with vowels, which become nasalized when they immediately precede or follow a nasal consonant. For example, in French, the vowel sound in the word "pain" is nasalized. The degree of nasalization can vary, and some languages distinguish between oral and nasal vowels as separate phonemes, meaning they can change the meaning of a word.

Nasalization is not limited to vowels. In some languages, consonants can also be nasalized, although this is less common and often a result of assimilation to a neighboring nasal sound. The velum, or soft palate, plays a crucial role in nasalization. When the velum is lowered, air can pass through the nasal cavity, resulting in a nasal sound. When the velum is raised, the nasal passage is blocked, and the sound is oral. The presence or absence of nasalization can be a significant feature in the phonological system of a language, distinguishing otherwise identical words and affecting the overall sound quality of speech.