A nasal voice is a type of speaking voice characterized by speech with a "nasal" quality to it. It can also occur naturally because of genetic variation. In vocal context, the opposite of nasal is adenoidal or denasal.

Nasal speech can be divided into hypo-nasal or hyper-nasal.

Hypo-nasal speech

• Hypo-nasal speech is when there is a lack of appropriate nasal airflow during speech resulting in speech much as if someone has a bad cold.

Causes of hypo-nasal speech include anything that causes nasal obstruction including, but not limited to:

• adenoid hypertrophy
• turbinate hypertrophy
• allergies
• sinus infections
• viral upper respiratory infection
• deviated septum

Hyper-nasal speech

Hyper-nasal speech is inappropriate increased airflow through the nose during speech, especially with plosives and fricatives (syllables that begin with a consonant).

Examples of hyper-nasal speech include cleft palate and velopharyngeal insufficiency.

People described as having nasal voices

• Amanda Balk (The Golden Cage/De Gouden Kooi (DGK) Netherland)
• Eminem
• Fran Drescher
• Ray Romano
• Neil Young
• Cyndi Lauper (singer and Actress)
• Bob Dylan
• Shakira (singer)
• John Lennon
• Jim Bakkum (Dutch singer and Actor)
• Per Gessle (singer Roxette/Gyllene Tider)
• Billy Corgan
• Anastacia (singer)
• The character Janice on the popular sitcom Friends
• Katie Carlile
• Jiro Wang Dong Chen (Fahrenheit)
• The characters Clyde Donovan,Kyle Schwartz, and Craig in the animated show South Park
• Jordan Pundik, lead singer of New Found Glory
• Tina Turner (singer)
• Sarah Beth Mortimer
• Wallace Shawn
• Himesh Reshammiya
• Jeff Mangum

External links

• Nasal Speech Section of VoiceInfo.org