What condition is characterized by the velopharyngeal mechanism not closing, allowing nasal sounds during non-nasal sound production?

The condition characterized by the velopharyngeal mechanism not closing is known as hypernasality. In this condition, there is an excessive resonance on the nasal sounds during the production of speech sounds that should not involve nasal resonance. This happens because the velopharyngeal mechanism, which normally prevents air from escaping through the nose during the production of non-nasal sounds, fails to close adequately.

As a result, when a person with hypernasality produces sounds such as /b/, /d/, or /g/, which are expected to be relatively oral in resonance, there is an unintended nasal quality due to air escaping through the nasal cavity. This can be a significant factor in speech intelligibility and can affect the voice quality, making it sound breathy or nasally.

In contrast, hyponasality refers to insufficient nasal resonance, often resulting in a stuffy or blocked sound during nasal consonants like /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/. An articulation disorder involves difficulty with the physical production of specific speech sounds, while a fluency disorder pertains to the flow of speech (e.g., stuttering). These conditions do not directly relate to the functioning of the velopharyngeal mechanism in the same manner as hypernas