nasalization
|na-sal-i-za-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌneɪzəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌneɪzələˈzeɪʃən/
making or having a nasal quality
Etymology
'nasalization' originates from English, formed from 'nasalize' + the suffix '-ation', where 'nasal' ultimately comes from Latin 'nasus' meaning 'nose'.
'nasal' changed from the Latin word 'nasus' (nose) through Medieval Latin/Old French influences into English as 'nasal'; 'nasalize' was derived from 'nasal' and later produced the noun 'nasalization'.
Initially related simply to 'pertaining to the nose' (physical nose), but over time it evolved to mean specifically 'the process or quality of making sounds nasal' in phonetics and speech description.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the phonetic process or feature by which vowels or consonants are produced with airflow through the nose, giving them a nasal quality (e.g., nasalization of vowels).
The nasalization of the vowel is common in that regional accent.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/30 13:39