Longman Dictionary of

PE2379 ch05.qxd 24/1/02 16:06 Page 349
N n
N` n
N`` n
N
(in testing and statistics) a symbol for the number of students, subjects,
scores, or observations involved in a study (as in, e.g., N 15).
also N-bar
see BAR NOTATION
also N-double bar
see BAR NOTATION
narrative n
1 the written or oral account of a real or fictional story
2 the genre structure underlying stories
see STORY GRAMMAR
narrative writing n
see MODES OF WRITING
narrow transcription n
see TRANSCRIPTION
nasal n
a sound (CONSONANT or VOWEL) produced by lowering the soft palate so
that there is no velic closure and air may go out through the nose. For
example, the final sounds of rum, run, and rung are bilabial, alveolar, and
velar nasals, respectively, formed by stopping the airstream at some place
in the mouth, while letting air continue to flow through the nose. Some
languages, such as French, have nasal vowels as well as consonants. For
example, the vowel of French bon /bõ/ (“good”) is a nasal vowel that contrasts
with the nonnasal vowel /o/ of beau (“beautiful”).
nasal cavity n
see VOCAL TRACT, PLACE OF ARTICULATION
nasal plosion n
another term for nasal release
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