N (letter): Difference between revisions

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imported>Domergue Sumien
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Silent '''n''' comes after '''m''' at the end of '''åutumn, hýmn, cólumn, dámn, condémn, sólemn'''.   
Silent '''n''' comes after '''m''' at the end of '''åutumn, hýmn, cólumn, dámn, condémn, sólemn'''.   


'''ng''' has its own sound, a hum in the back of the throat: '''síng, wíng, sínging, sóng, ríng, wróng, díng-dóng, báng'''.
'''ng''' has its own sound, [ŋ], a hum in the back of the throat: '''síng, wíng, sínging, sóng, ríng, wróng, díng-dóng, báng'''.


In this final position, the '''g''' is never pronounced separately (apart from in some English regional pronunciations) and this is true before a vowel in the middle of some words: '''sínger, wínger, wrónged, bánging''', and in '''dínghy''' ''boat'' ('''díng'''- + silent '''h''', + -'''ŷ''', with or without hard '''g''') it is followed by an '''h''' to distinguish it from '''díngy''' ''dirty'', which has the j sound *dínjy, as does '''dúngeon''', *dúnjən.
In this final position, the '''g''' is never pronounced separately (apart from in some English regional pronunciations) and this is true before a vowel in the middle of some words: '''sínger, wínger, wrónged, bánging''', and in '''dínghy''' ''boat'' ('''díng'''- + silent '''h''', + -'''ŷ''', with or without hard '''g''') it is followed by an '''h''' to distinguish it from '''díngy''' ''dirty'', which has the j sound *dínjy, as does '''dúngeon''', *dúnjən.
But the '''g''' is pronounced (not as a j) separately in the middle of other words: '''fínger''' (*fíng-gə(r)), '''English''' (*Íng-glish), '''ánger''' (*áng-gə(r)), '''ángry''' (*áng-gry).  
But the '''g''' is pronounced (not as a j) separately in the middle of other words: '''fínger''' (*fíng-gə(r)), '''English''' (*Íng-glish), '''ánger''' (*áng-gə(r)), '''ángry''' (*áng-gry).  


This ng sound is also heard where '''n''' is followed by '''c, k''', or '''x''': '''úncle, ánkle, ánchor''' (*ángkə(r), cf. '''ánchovy''', '''nch''' as -ntch-), '''ánxious, sínk, thínk, tánk, wínkle, ínkling, tínkle, ráncour'''.
This 'ng' sound is also heard where '''n''' is followed by '''c, k''', or '''x''': '''úncle, ánkle, ánchor''' (*ángkə(r), cf. '''ánchovy''', '''nch''' as -ntch-), '''ánxious, sínk, thínk, tánk, wínkle, ínkling, tínkle, ráncour'''.


==See also==
==See also==

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N, n is a letter of the Latin alphabet. It is the fourteenth letter of most variants of the Latin alphabet, being placed after M and before O: for instance it is the case in the English alphabet. Its English name is pronounced [ˈen], that is en, as in en dash.

Use in English

n is pronounced in the position of t (as in tén) and d (as in dòes), tongue behind upper teeth, hummed. Examples (the accents show stress and pronunciation: see English phonemes): nòne, noôn, nåughty, nîce, nô, nót, Nétherlands, níl, nought, nòthing, any (pronounced *énny), sâne, pâne window = pâin hurt, nāsty.

It may be preceded by a silent k at the beginning of a word: knôw, knót, knéll, knóll, knîfe, knêad dough (= nêed require) or, initially or towards the end, by a silent g: gnát, gnôme, gnû, rèign, sîgn, desîgn, colôgne, dèign.

It is doubled in the middle of words to keep the preceding vowel short: fúnny (from fún) ínner, wínning, dínner, Ánnie, Kénnedy, mánned, bánned. Where an n follows the prefix un-, both n’s must be pronounced, that is to say, the sound is lengthened: unnátural, unnécessary, unnêeded; and with a silent k in unknôwn.

n begins consonant clusters: áncestor (-ns-), cóncrête (-ngk-), lúnch, ánchor (-nk-), úncle, énd, hándle, Ándrew, infŏrm, ínflâte, ínfra-réd, éngine, engâge, inhérent, thínk, ánkle, insîde, mónster, ínstrúct, bént, mántle, éntry, énvelope, jínx (-ks), ánxious (-nksh), anxîety (-ngz-), énzyme.

Silent n comes after m at the end of åutumn, hýmn, cólumn, dámn, condémn, sólemn.

ng has its own sound, [ŋ], a hum in the back of the throat: síng, wíng, sínging, sóng, ríng, wróng, díng-dóng, báng.

In this final position, the g is never pronounced separately (apart from in some English regional pronunciations) and this is true before a vowel in the middle of some words: sínger, wínger, wrónged, bánging, and in dínghy boat (díng- + silent h, + -ŷ, with or without hard g) it is followed by an h to distinguish it from díngy dirty, which has the j sound *dínjy, as does dúngeon, *dúnjən. But the g is pronounced (not as a j) separately in the middle of other words: fínger (*fíng-gə(r)), English (*Íng-glish), ánger (*áng-gə(r)), ángry (*áng-gry).

This 'ng' sound is also heard where n is followed by c, k, or x: úncle, ánkle, ánchor (*ángkə(r), cf. ánchovy, nch as -ntch-), ánxious, sínk, thínk, tánk, wínkle, ínkling, tínkle, ráncour.

See also