science

Nasalance

Nasalance is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nasalance rather than just read about it. In short: Nasalance is a measure of the degree of velopharyngeal opening in voiced speech formed by computing the ratio of the amplitude of the acoustic energy at the nares, An, to amplitude of the acoustic energy at the mouth, Am. The term nasalance usually refers to this ratio as a percentage, A n ( A m + A n ) × 100 % , {\displaystyle {\dfrac {A_{n}}{(A_{m}+A_{n})}}\times 100\%,} and thus may be more properly expressed as…

Key takeaways

Nasalance belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nasalance to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nasalance from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Nasalance is a measure of the degree of velopharyngeal opening in voiced speech formed by computing the ratio of the amplitude of the acoustic energy at the nares, An, to amplitude of the acoustic energy at the mouth, Am. The term nasalance usually refers to this ratio as a percentage,

A n ( A m + A n ) × 100 % , {\displaystyle {\dfrac {A_{n}}{(A_{m}+A_{n})}}\times 100\%,}

and thus may be more properly expressed as percent nasalance. The term originated in the work of Fletcher and his associates and is now implemented in a number of commercially available devices. There are small differences in the manner in which nasalance is computed in various devices, and differences in the manner in which the oral and nasal acoustic energies are separated physically, as by a hard separator plate held against the upper lip vs. a two-chamber pneumotachograph mask. However, there have been no conclusive studies of the effect of these differences on a relevant underlying physical variable, such as the area of the velopharyngeal opening.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nasalance

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nasalance claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nasalance before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nasalance ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nasalance

In research: Nasalance appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nasalance in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nasalance is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Human voice, Nasalization, Phonetics stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nasalance outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nasalance in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nasalance means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nasalance out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nasalance in simple terms?

Why does Nasalance matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nasalance?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nasalance.