Which term describes a sound produced by releasing air through the nose with a closure elsewhere; examples include /m/ and /n/?

• A. Velar
• B. Dental
• C. Nasal
• D. Plosive

Answer: (C)

Nasal sounds are produced by guiding the air through the nose while the mouth is blocked at some point. The velum (the soft palate) is lowered, opening the nasal passage, so air escapes through the nose instead of the mouth. Examples like /m/ and /n/ show this clearly: the closure happens at a place in the mouth (lips for /m/, tongue against the alveolar ridge for /n/), and the sound is carried out through the nasal cavity. This contrasts with other terms: velar refers to where the constriction happens at the velum (as in /k/ or /g/), dental to teeth-related places of articulation, and plosive to a complete oral stop with a burst release. The defining feature here is the nasal path of the airflow, which makes the sound nasal.