Occurrence
True dental consonants are relatively uncommon. In the Romance, Dravidian, and Australian languages, n is often called "dental" in the literature. However, the rearmost contact (which is what gives a consonant its distinctive sound) is actually alveolar or denti-alveolar. The difference between the Romance languages and English is not so much where the tongue contacts the roof of the mouth, as which part of the tongue makes the contact. In English it is the tip of the tongue (such sounds are termed apical), whereas in the Romance languages it is the flat of the tongue just above the tip (such sounds are called laminal).
However, there are languages with true apical (or less commonly laminal) dental n. It is found in the South American language Mapudungun, where it is actually interdental. A true dental generally occurs allophonically before /θ/ in languages which have it, as in English tenth. Similarly, a denti-alveolar allophone will occur in languages which have denti-alveolar stops, as in Spanish cinta.
Some languages contrast laminal denti-alveolar and apical alveolar nasals. For example, in the Malayalam pronunciation of "Nārāyanan", the first "n" is dental, the second is retroflex, and the third alveolar.
- True dental nasals
| Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | month | 'month' | Interdental. Allophone of /n/ before /θ/ and /ð/ | ||
| Malayalam | പന്നി | 'pig' | Interdental for some speakers | ||
| Mapudungun | 'sea, lake' | Interdental. | |||
| Spanish | Castilian | canción | 'song' | Interdental. Allophone of /n/ before /θ/ | |
- Laminal denti-alveolar nasals
| Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch | Belgian | nicht | 'niece', 'cousin' | Sometimes simply alveolar. See Ditch phonology | |
| French | connexion | 'connection' | Sometimes simply alveolar. See French phonology | ||
| Portuguese | General | nariz | 'nose' | May nasalize preceding vowel (especially if stressed). Has as allophone, forming from clusters with, and before /i/. | |
| Vernacular Brazilian | percebendo | 'perceiving' | Allophone of /d/ after a stressed nasal vowel, mainly in trysyllables and polysyllables, among more stigmatized varieties. See Portuguese phonology | ||
Read more about this topic: Dental Nasal
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