prenasalization
/ˌpriːneɪzəlʌɪˈzeɪʃn/ /ˌpriːneɪz(ə)lʌɪˈzeɪʃn/(also prenasalisation) Linguistics
noun
The occurrence or articulation of a brief nasal sound before a consonant, the combination of the two sounds being regarded as a single phonological unit.
- The phenomenon occurs especially in (initial) consonant clusters in sub-Saharan African languages..
Origin
1920s; earliest use found in Language. From pre- + nasalization.