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Why are languages without nasal consonants unusual?
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Papuan languages
Map of the languages found on the Doberai Peninsula of New Guinea.
Languages that lack nasal consonants are considered highly unusual because the presence of at least one nasal consonant (such as /m/ or /n/) is a standard feature in the vast majority of the world's languages.1
In phonetics, a nasal sound is produced by lowering the soft palate, which allows the airstream to pass through the nose. Most languages, including most Papuan languages, distinguish between oral consonants (like /p/) and nasal consonants (like /m/). The complete absence of these sounds, as observed in some languages of the Lakes Plain family, represents an extremely rare phonological characteristic.21