PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY
Segmental Aspects

Owing to the presence of the oral or nasal cavity during articulation, the consonants are defined as either oral (pronounced with the soft palate in the upper position, i.e. raised) or nasal (pronounced with the soft palate in the lower position). “Normally, in English, when we speak, we keep the soft palate raised, so that it presses against the back of the throat and allows no air out through the nose. With the three nasal consonants, /m/, /n/, and /η/, however, the soft palate remains lowered (as it is when we breathe)”, so “a distinctive nasal resonance” is present (Crystal, 2011, p. 242).

English:

NASAL consonants: m, n, ŋ

Slovak:

NASAL consonants: m, n, ň