Retroflex nasal - Definition and Overview

IPA - Unicode	ɳ
IPA - image
X-SAMPA	n`
Kirshenbaum	n.
Sound sample

The retroflex nasal is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ɳ, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is n`. Like all the retroflex consonants, the IPA symbol is formed by adding a rightward pointing hook extending from the bottom of the symbol used for the equivalent alveolar consonant, in this case the alveolar nasal which has the symbol n. The IPA symbol is thus a lowercase letter n with a rightward tail protruding from the bottom of the right stem of the letter. Compare n and ɳ. The symbol ɳ should not be confused with ɲ, the symbol for the palatal nasal, which has a leftward-pointing hook extending from the bottom of the left stem or with ŋ , the symbol for the velar nasal, which has a leftward-pointing hook extending from the bottom of the right stem.

Features of this consonant:

• Its manner of articulation is plosive or stop, which means it is produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract.
• Its place of articulation is retroflex which means it is articulated with the tip of the tongue curled up.
• Its phonation type is voiced, which means the vocal cords are vibrating during the articulation.
• It is a nasal consonant, which means air is allowed to escape through the nose.
• It is a central consonant, which means it is produced by allowing the airstream to flow over the middle of the tongue, rather than the sides.
• The airstream mechanism is pulmonic egressive, which means it is articulated by pushing air out of the lungs and through the vocal tract, rather than from the glottis or the mouth.