#nasal aspirator

[babybumpbuzz]

Nursing strike: When the newborn refuses milk

Breastfeeding going smoothly until baby's nursing strike? Don't panic! Here are tips to get them back on track. Remember, it's just a passing phase! 🤱👶😊 #NursingStrike #BreastfeedingTips #MomLife

Nursing strike: What happens when a baby refuses to nurse at the breast or take artificial milk? Why does the infant reject the breast and bottle, and what can be done? We Nursing Strike Breastfeeding seems to be going well, and the baby is growing and gaining weight when suddenly everything changes. The baby refuses to latch onto the breast or bottle, and it is not clear what is causing this…

[desireeturner2569]

Maternal and Baby Wellness

Have you heard about the amazing benefits of using a nasal aspirator for your little one? Momcozy offers a fantastic range of nasal aspirators designed to make the process easy and gentle for babies. These products not only help clear nasal congestion but also ensure that your baby can breathe easily and comfortably. Share your positive experiences with Momcozy's nasal aspirator and how it has improved your baby's comfort and health!

[matthewmorrison3380]

Exploring the Wonders of Momcozy's Nasal Aspirator for Moms and Babies

I recently had the opportunity to delve into the amazing world of maternal and baby products, specifically focusing on Momcozy and their nasal aspirator. The experience was truly enlightening, and I can't recommend it enough for parents looking for effective solutions for their little ones. If you're a mom or dad, this product is a must-have for your parenting toolkit.

Let me share some insights:

Momcozy's nasal aspirator is designed with both functionality and comfort in mind, making it easy to help clear your baby's nasal passages.

The sleek design ensures that it's user-friendly, perfect for those moments when your baby needs some relief.

One of the standout features is the gentle suction, which is effective yet safe for delicate noses, giving parents peace of mind.

The aspirator is also easy to clean, which is a big plus for busy parents who want to keep things hygienic without any hassle.

I hope this information helps you appreciate the benefits of Momcozy's nasal aspirator as much as I do!

[sleekervae]

New York Romantic .1

Masterlist

pairing: Tom Blyth x ballerina!oc

summary: a young actor moves across the hall from an aspiring ballerina. (college au kinda)

word count: 1562

a/n: i've had this idea knocking around in my brain for a few days and finally got to penning it down -- enjoy!

August 2016

The sun stretched its golden rays across the morning sky in New York City, the last embrace of summer's fading heat lingered in the air. The city bustled under a whispering breeze that carried the promise of change, as tree leaves, once adorned in vibrant green, began their slow transformation into a canvas of crimson and gold. Amidst the streets, a serene anticipation filled the air, capturing the essence of a city transitioning as the summer activities came to a close and the kids were dreading the return to school.

The wheels on Tom's luggage clacked against the cracks and bumps in the concrete sidewalk, bleary and tired eyes scanning between his phone and the address placards on the various condos. He knew he should've taken a cab, but the bus was so much cheaper and Google indicated it was only a five minute walk to his new living quarters anyway.

He finally stopped in front of a brick building, the address placard worn and rusted from the elements but the numbers matched up with that on his itinerary. The other cue that gave it away was the variety of art pieces in windows and hung over bannisters and fire escapes. Tom lugged his bag up the three stone steps and ducked inside.

The lobby was pale, dingy and in dire need of a fresh coat of paint; not to mention the air held hints of mothballs and burnt microwaved popcorn. An older woman was sat behind a desk, reclined in her chair while glazed eyes were focused on her computer screen. Tom approached slowly, hoping his smile could cover the exhaustion hiding in his face.

"Hello,"

The woman's eyes were the last to focus when she turned her head, blinking over her glasses and a warm smile graced her face, "Oh, hello! You must be... erm..." she suddenly grabbed a clipboard and scanned the tiny text, "... Jacob Nielson?" she spoke in the classic Brooklyn accent with exaggerated vowels and nasally undertones.

"No," he shook his head politely, "My name's Tom. Blyth," he replied.

She scanned her list with her pen, gasping aloud when she found his name, "I see, now! Very nice to meet you, my name's Doris -- I'm the super here. You're my renter from London, right?"

"Yeah. Well -- Yorkshire specifically,"

"I didn't do so well in geography, honey. Have mercy," Doris replied as she stood up, heading for the wall of cubbies behind her, "So tell me, which insane asylum are you checking into?"

" -- Excuse me?"

"What school are you attending?" she asked again, her fingers flourishing across the cubbies.

Tom nodded, "I'm starting at Julliard next week. I'm an actor," he replied.

Doris scoffed, "Yeah? You and everybody's dog, honey," she pulled a key from a specific slot and returned to the desk, "But you got a nice face, maybe you'll luck out,"

Tom wasn't sure whether or not he should've taken that as a compliment, so he simply smiled back and accepted the key, "Um, thank you,"

"You're on floor three, room 14. Your roommate should already be moved in, he can give you a tour of the place," she explained, "If you need anything, leaky faucets fixed and whatnot just come down and see me,"

"Thank you, Doris," he took his bag and started for the elevator on the right of the room, but Doris called out to him again.

"Hold on, handsome! Elevator's broke! Hasn't worked since Giuliani was mayor," she pointed to the left, "Stairs are over there,"

Tom huffed under his breath; he was tired and the last thing he wanted was to lug his suitcase up three flights of stairs. Nevertheless, he gave Doris one more polite grin as he started for the staircase.

The sun cast stark patterns across the stairs, the skewed silhouettes of the window panes interrupted by Tom's own shadow as he made his trek up. He hadn't at first registered the thundering of footsteps above him until a group of kids rushed passed him.

"C'mon! We're gonna miss the bus!" The stairwell was relatively narrow, arms and bodies knocking into Tom until he nearly slipped and his grip loosened on his suitcase. The suitcase went tumbling down the stairs, smacking hard against the opposing wall and the latches burst open. His belongings spilled everywhere.

Tom grumbled to himself, trekking down the stairs again to clean up the mess. One of the kids however hung back, trailing behind her group but she'd witnessed Tom's misfortune. She double backed up the stairs, staring in astonishment at the clothes and knick knacks, then at him.

"Jesus, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

Tom was crouched over the ground when he looked up, coming face-to-face with the concerned expression of a young brunette. She was lean and petite, dressed down in denim shorts and black tank top. Her converse had two different coloured laces, one red and one yellow. He found that peculiar.

"I'm alright," Tom assured her, "If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, then it's not such a bad day, right?" he tried to laugh it off.

The girl simpered, "Sure," nevertheless she crouched down to help him. One of her friends called out from below.

"Noelle! C'mon! We're gonna miss the bus!" she shouted.

The girl -- Noelle -- shouted back, "Go ahead, Bianca! I'll catch up with you guys!"

"But the movie starts in an hour! It's take forty five minutes from here, man!"

"It's twenty minutes of previews, anyways!" she turned back to Tom, her cheeks tinting bashfully, "Sorry about that,"

"Don't worry. You should go with your friends, I'll be fine," he replied.

Noelle scoffed, "Can I trust you with a secret?"

"Sure,"

"I hate horror movies,"

Tom smiled, "And lemme' guess: they're going to see a horror movie?"

"Don't Breathe. Some kids break into a blind guy's house and he ends up killing them all and quite frankly -- I can go my whole life without more nightmares," she replied, a coy smile playing at her lips.

"Don't half blame you. I'm not the biggest fan, myself," he said, "Do you live here?"

"Yep. That nutcase shouting at me was my roommate," she replied, "Sorry, I didn't get your name,"

"Tom,"

"Very nice to meet you. I wish it was under better circumstances," she chuckled back.

"Don't worry about it -- Noelle," he grinned.

She helped him clean up and pack his things, leading him back upstairs to his room. He assured her he could manage but Noelle insisted, saying it was the least she could do for his trouble.

"Room 14?" she cocked a brow when he told her, the corners of her lips pulling back to bare her clenched teeth.

"Yeah. What's wrong?" Tom asked apprehensively, "I don't have a serial killer for a roommate, right?"

Noelle shook her head, "No, no, you get Sunny. And he's just like his name -- absolute sunshine human being,"

"... I sense there's a 'but' coming," he trailed.

"He's a scholarship violinist, he's brilliant. And he's so brilliant because he practices at all hours of the night," she explained, "... All hours. You might wanna invest in some noise cancelling ear plugs,"

Tom nodded, relieved that at least his new roomie didn't sound like a dickhead, "Thanks for the advice,"

They stopped in front of the door, a worn brass 14 glinting subtly in the light. Tom fished out the key from his pocket, "I guess this is me,"

"Oh, damn," Noelle huffed, glancing at the door across from them, "You get the insane neighbours,"

His eyes flitted between her and the door, "... Whatcha' mean by that?"

Noelle pulled a key from her pocket, "Well, they're dancers for one. So they're always playing music, talking shit, burning their instant noodles because they're half-daft," with that she shoved the key into the lock and twisted, and sure enough the door opened.

Tom glanced at her, sheer amusement crossing over his face. He simpered under his breath, "You're my half-daft dancer neighbour who burns her instant noodles?"

"Unfortunately for you," she confirmed, half smirking.

"And how does one burn their instant noodles?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it," she closed and locked the door again, "But I'll let you get settled in. If you need anything at all, you can just pop over,"

"Thank you, Noelle," he smiled, "And thanks again for --" he stopped suddenly when he heard a faint violin melody from the other side of his door. It was a beautiful melody nonetheless, and it had him intrigued, "I suppose that's my roommate?"

Noelle nodded back, "Yep. I promise you, he's a sweetheart," she started walking backwards towards the stairwell, "I'm sorry again about earlier,"

"Don't give it a second thought. Have fun at your movie," he replied.

She giggled sardonically, "Oh trust me, I'll have a blast. I'll see you around, Tom,"

Tom gave her a small wave, watching her until she disappeared around the corner, could hear her shoes squeaking as she trotted down the stairs. He couldn't deny he found her quite a looker, a small part of him giddy with excitement at the prospect of getting to know his new neighbour. The violin melody continued to play on the other side of the door, and taking a deep breath for confidence, he pushed the key into the lock and opened the door...

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive (Daily updates!)

mRNA vaccines and infection miss the mark with your long-lived plasma cells (Aka the library of the immune system). That means you need to 1. keep up to date on your mRNA shots for best protection 2. switch to a protein-based shot (such as novavax) if you can. The protein delivery method seems to not have this same issue with long immune memory.

By Jon Cohen

Neither vaccinations nor immunity from infections seem to thwart SARS-CoV-2 for long. The frequency of new infections within a few months of a previous bout or a shot is one of COVID-19’s most vexing puzzles. Now, scientists have learned that a little-known type of immune cell in the bone marrow may play a major role in this failure.

The study, which appeared last month in Nature Medicine, found that people who received repeated doses of vaccine, and in some cases also became infected with SARS-CoV-2, largely failed to make special antibody-producing cells called long-lived plasma cells (LLPCs). “That’s really, really interesting,” says Mark Slifka, an immunologist at the Oregon Health & Science University who was not involved with the work. The study authors say their finding may indicate a way to make better COVID-19 vaccines: by altering how they present the spike surface protein of SARS-CoV-2 to a person’s immune cells.

Durability is an age-old bugaboo of vaccine designers. Some vaccines, particularly ones made from weakened versions of viruses, can protect people for decades, even life. Yet others lose effectiveness within months. “We really haven’t overcome this challenge,” says Akiko Iwasaki, a Yale University immunologist who is developing a nasal COVID-19 vaccine she hopes can be given often enough to get around the durability problem.

Just how long a shot can protect against SARS-CoV-2 is hard to assess because variants of the virus, able to evade existing immunity, frequently emerge. And new infections muddle attempts to assess vaccine durability because they provide a “boost” that keeps immunity from waning. Multiple immune actors also provide protection, including antibodies, T cells, and natural killer cells.

To get a clearer picture, the new study examined LLPCs, which are responsible for durable immunity to some other viruses. These cells, the offspring of B cells, primarily reside in the bone marrow. For some viruses, vaccination or infection generate LLPCs that can survive for decades, steadily producing “neutralizing antibodies” that can thwart new infections.

But not so with SARS-CoV-2, the new work indicates. Emory University immunologists Frances Eun-Hyung Lee, Doan Nguyen, and their colleagues enrolled 19 people who agreed to have their marrow aspirated, a procedure that carries little risk but can be painful because it means piercing bone. All had received between two to five doses of messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines—which code for SARS-CoV-2’s spike—during the preceding 3 years. Five reported having had COVID-19, as well. The study subjects had also been vaccinated recently against influenza and had booster shots for tetanus, a bacterial disease.

Lee and her colleagues found that nearly all participants had LLPCs in their bone marrow that secreted antibodies against tetanus and flu. But only one-third had plasma cells generating the same defense against SARS-CoV-2. Even in those subjects, just 0.1% of the antibodies generated by their LLPCs were specific for SARS-CoV-2, an order of magnitude less than for tetanus and flu. “The paper is very informative,” Iwasaki says.

An earlier study of bone marrow from 20 people who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 but never vaccinated against it also found that they were “deficient” in LLPCs specific to SARS-CoV-2 compared with those for tetanus. The new results “were really consistent with what we found,” says Mohammad Sajadi of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, whose team reported the data in the 25 July issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases. “The big question is why?”

SARS-CoV-2’s surface features may offer an answer, Lee and her co-authors say. LLPCs emerge after “naïve” B cells encounter a virus or a piece of it, such as the spike protein. As B cells mature, they make more refined antibodies that better bind to the invader. After the initial infection, memory B cells continue to patrol the blood and a subset differentiates into plasma cells. Some of those cells migrate to the bone marrow, which provides safe haven for their long-term antibody production.

B cells carry Y-shaped receptors that attach to viral surface proteins when they identify a pathogen. If both branches of the Y bind to the same pathogen proteins, they trigger a phenomenon called “cross-linking,” Which spurs B cells to transform into LLPCs. But electron microscopy of SARS-CoV-2 shows its spikes are about 25 nanometers apart, too distant for a single B cell receptor to readily bind to two at once.

Spike doesn’t just appear on the virus itself; it also protrudes from infected cells and cells stimulated by mRNA vaccines. Electron micrographs don’t show the proteins and their spacing, but immunologists suspect the SARS-CoV-2 molecules are widely spaced on these cells, as well. As a result, Lee and her co-authors suggest, B cells don’t become cross-linked, and LLPCs don’t develop.

Other kinds of vaccines might present spike more effectively. Slifka points to an approved vaccine against human papillomavirus, which consists of a “viruslike particle” (VLP) made from surface proteins of that pathogen. Those proteins self-assemble into something that resembles a soccer ball. “That’s a very rigid structure with great spacing and it induces incredibly durable antibody responses,” Slifka says.

Martin Bachmann, an immunologist at the University of Bern, has argued that VLPs for SAR-CoV-2 could space spike molecules more closely—about 5 nanometers apart—than the virus itself. “I am personally convinced that viruslike particles are the best platform,” says Bachmann, who published his proposal in a 2021 npj Vaccines paper.

Given the dominance of current shots, bringing a new one to market won’t be easy. Indeed, Medicago made a spike-based VLP vaccine for COVID-19 that regulators in Canada authorized for use in February 2022, but the company stopped making it a year later because it lacked a market and went out of business.

The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine approved in the United States and some other countries uses insect cells to produce spikes that link together and form “rosettes,” which might offer tighter spacing of the protein and therefore durability benefits, but Bachmann doubts the rosettes work as well as VLPs. “Such poorly organized structures are clearly inferior to highly organized surfaces,” he says.

Lee would like to study the bone marrow of Novavax recipients for the long-lived plasma cells, “but there weren’t a large number, and it’s very hard to get patients to donate marrow,” she says.

Other COVID-19 vaccines in development use nanoparticles that display tightly spaced portions of spike. Neil King, a University of Washington biochemist whose team has developed one such COVID-19 vaccine now in human trials, says they do not have data on LLPCs or durability. “Spacing definitely matters, but it’s very difficult to set up controlled experiments,” King says.

Structural biologist Pamela Bjorkman at the California Institute of Technology, who has a similar nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccine in development, is more skeptical that spacing has a significant impact on vaccine’s durability. Influenza virus has tightly spaced surface proteins, she notes, and infection with it doesn’t lead to durable immunity.

Nguyen, however, thinks his team’s sobering findings require follow-up. “The bad news is the failure of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines themselves—with or without natural infections—to induce LLPCs in the bone marrow,” he says. “The good news is this failure itself provides a research opportunity to find a way to change the fate of short-lived vaccines.”

[wheelie-sick]

Explaining dysphagia

Dysphagia is simultaneously a symptom and a diagnosable condition. Most people think of it (if they think of it at all) as the choking on food disease but in reality it's much more complicated than that.

There are four categories of dysphagia: oropharyngeal, esophageal, esophagogastric, and paraesophageal

only two of those categories (oropharyngeal and esophageal) are commonly used and diagnosed so those are the main two I'll be talking about.

The diagnosis of dysphagia is a fairly complicated process involving a lot of radiological testing and things stuck up your nose and down your throat.

lost the source :(

source

the ICD 10 further divides dysphagia into unspecified, oral phase, oropharyngeal phase, pharyngeal phase, pharyngoesophageal phase, and other dysphagia which includes cervical dysphagia and neurogenic dysphagia

Oropharyngeal dysphagia

Oropharyngeal dysphagia occurs when someone has difficulty initiating a swallow. It's often accompanied by coughing, choking, feeling food stick in the throat, and nasal regurgitation. Other symptoms include frequent repetitive swallows, frequent throat clearing, a gargly voice after meals, hoarse voice, nasal speech and dysarthria, drooling, and recurrent pneumonia.

Oropharyngeal dysphagia is diagnosed with a modified barium swallow and/or a transnasal video endoscopy.

Some of the consequences of oropharyngeal dysphagia include aspiration pneumonia, upper respiratory infections, and weight loss. Common treatment includes rehabilitative swallowing exercises, botox, surgery, and/or a feeding tube.

Esophageal Dysphagia

Esophageal dysphagia is dysphagia where there is a problem with the passage of food or liquids through the esophagus between the upper and lower esophageal sphincter. Esophageal dysphagia is usually a result of abnormal motility in the esophagus or a physical obstruction to the esophagus. Symptoms of esophageal dysphagia vary depending on cause.

Motility: People with esophageal motility disorders will experience problems with swallowing both liquids and solids. Motility disorders consist of abnormal numbers of contractions in the esophagus, abnormal velocity of contractions, abnormal force of contractions, abnormal coordinated timing of contractions, or several of these simultaneously. People with esophageal motility disorders may also experience spasms or chest pain.

Obstruction: People with an esophageal obstruction will have more difficulty swallowing solids than liquids.

Some symptoms of both include pain when swallowing, the inability to swallow, sensation of food being stuck in your throat or chest, drooling, and regurgitation.

Esophageal dysphagia can be diagnosed with a barium swallow, upper endoscopy, esophageal manometry, and an endoFLIP.

Some common treatments for esophageal dysphagia include medication, esophageal dilation, surgery, stent placement, and/or a feeding tube.

Esophagogastric Dysphagia

Esophagogastric dysphagia occurs when there is a problem with material passing from the lower esophageal sphincter into the gastric fundus.

Paraesophageal Dysphagia

Paraesophageal dysphagia occurs when the esophagus is narrowed due to extrinsic compression.

The ICD 10 Classifications

Oral phase - difficulty moving food or liquid to the back of the throat

Oropharyngeal phase - difficulty initiating swallowing

Pharyngeal phase - difficulty swallowing when food or liquid is at the top of the throat

Pharyngoesophageal phase - unable to find information

Other dysphagia- cervical dysphagia (caused by problems with the cervical spine) or neurogenic dysphagia (caused by problems with the central or peripheral nervous system)

Sources

x x x

+ some others I definitely (/sarcasm) didn't lose the link to

[ynscrazylife]

Hi ml! I have a request!

Reader is always a super happy person, even when overworked and sick. Wanda is trying to pull R out of her school work, but R replies with something cute and happy like "don't worry your pretty head about me, I'm fine! " which makes Wanda blush, but still worried. Eventually R gets the flu or something, but is still working. Wanda is surprised at how happy and cheerful R is even  though their miserably sick. Eventually R starts to cry at their desk from feeling so sick, and Wanda is finally able to get R away from their desk, and helps R feel better.

Them!

Magic Kisses

Summary: Your feelings are revealed when Wanda takes care of you when you’re sick. 

Request to be on a taglist (or multiple) here! (Taglists are at the end of the fic)

Main Masterlist | MCU Masterlist

PSA: Do NOT copy, steal, translate, plagiarize, republish, etc any of my works on Tumblr or any other platform. Also, do NOT claim any of my works as your own. All of these works are either requests I’ve gotten that people have wanted me to write or original ideas I’ve had for works. If you happen to take inspiration from anything I’ve written and want to write something inspired by that, please a) ask me first and b) IF I say yes, credit me as inspo in your post by tagging me and link whatever work of mine that inspired you. Thanks.

“Y/N, did you need something?”

Suddenly hearing F.R.I.D.A.Y’s voice through the lab’s speakers made you let out an undignified yelp as you promptly fell off your stool. Landing in a heap on the floor, you grunted at the pain that spread all over your body and decided to just lay there for a second. Glancing up at the speakers, you said, “Why would I need something, Fri?”

(Even the sound of your own voice made you cringe. You were so nasally with your runny nose).

“You’ve been staring at your blueprints without moving for the past few minutes and from what I can detect, you seem to be developing a cold,” the AI answered matter-of-factly.

You bit back a sigh. You may have been able to hide from the team just how overworked their resident teammate and engineer was, but there was no fooling technology. As much as you loved tinkering around in Tony’s expensive lab, it was times like these that made you second guess your decision to be an Avenger and an aspiring engineer whilst in your senior year of college.

“Just zoned out for a bit, that’s all. I’m alright,” you assured F.R.I.D.A.Y. as you picked yourself up. But as you went to climb back onto the stool, a throbbing pain in your ankle made you hesitate.

You grit your teeth, intent to ignore it, until F.R.I.D.A.Y. piped up. “I’d suggest that you visit Dr. Cho, Y/N.”

You gaze shot to the speakers with a glare. You didn’t want to be pulled from your work now — the blueprints for Tony’s next invention was almost finished! “You do realize that I fell because of you, right?” You snapped at her.

F.R.I.D.A.Y. didn’t respond after that.

You went to get back to work, glancing over the blueprints for the umpteenth time. However, when the pain showed no sign of letting up, you knew that as self-destructive you were, you had to do something about this. You could already hear Tony in your head now, whining all about workers’ comp because you had injured yourself in his lab whilst working for his company.

Dragging yourself to the medbay, you froze in the doorway when a certain redhead caught your eye. Wanda, a close friend and your subsequent crush. It was hard not to like her—she was insanely powerful and, for lack of a better term, hot. The way she was affectionate with you made butterflies swarm in your stomach and you swore her smile was as bright at the stars. When she looked at you, it was like everything fell away, and you had become almost addicted to that feeling.

“Y/N! Everything alright?” Dr. Cho asked and a smile lifted up your face at the sight of Wanda.

“Oh, uh, yeah — I was just hoping to get some ice, I fell off my stool,” you explained, showing them your ankle.

Dr. Cho nodded and went to grab the ice from the freezer. “I can examine it if you need,” she offered.

You glanced at Wanda. “I’m fine, don’t wanna interrupt you guys,” you said, unable to help but wonder what the redhead was doing here.

“You’re not interrupting anything. Dr. Cho just needed me to update some info for my medical file,” Wanda assured you, matching your smile.

You accepted the ice from Dr. Cho with an appreciative nod. “You sure you don’t want an examination? You’ve been holed up in the lab for a while now, might be good to take a break and make sure your ankle’s alright,” Wanda said, eyeing you carefully.

You blushed at the fact that Wanda had noticed. Taking a chance, you said, “Don’t worry your pretty head about me, I’m fine!” Your voice was cheerful, which wasn’t uncommon for you, but there was some force, a push, to it.

Wanda, however, didn’t notice because now she was the one blushing. She went to respond, but it seemed like her brain was short-circuiting, and she just stifled a noise and smiled. Thankfully, Dr. Cho came in to save the day for the redhead.

“Well, if you do want an examination, I’m here all day, okay?” She said, prompting you to nod.

“Thank you,” you said, sparing one last look at Wanda before returning to the lab.

For the rest of the day, Wanda couldn’t seem to get her mind off you. Not only was she flustered by your comment (little did you know, she did reciprocate your feelings for her), but she couldn’t help but note how long you stayed in the lab.

When it was getting close to dinner time, Wanda caved and went up to the group, most of them hanging out in the living room. “Hey, has anyone seen Y/N around?” She asked.

A chorus of “No”s went around, making her hope deflate. “Check the lab,” Tony suggested.

Oh, she was definitely going to. As she set out for the room, Wanda found herself wishing that you weren’t there. Maybe you had gone to your room to rest — though she knew that was wishful thinking. Once she turned the corner and reached the lab, Wanda’s heart absolutely shattered.

There you were, hunched over on the stool, still hard at work. But it wasn’t that that made Wanda break—it was the fact that she could hear and see you crying, muttering to yourself angrily. She resisted peeking into your mind, no matter how loud your thoughts were or how tempting it was.

“Y/N,” she said softly, gravitating towards you. You seemed to perk up a bit at her presence, but not in the way Wanda hoped. Instead of realizing that she was here to help, you began hurriedly wiping your face and gathering your strewn papers, as if wanting to hide this from her.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Are you alright? What’s going on?” She cooed, delicately taking the papers from you and putting them into a neat snack.

Your shoulders slumped, looking away from her. “It’s—” you began, voice small and cracking.

“Don’t tell me that it’s nothing,” Wanda cut in quickly, stern but not unkind.

You relented with a long say. “I’m just—I’m so tired. I have so much work to do, but my ankle hurts so much and I think I’m coming down with something,” you admitted, wiping your nose. There was a little bit of a whine to your words, but Wanda didn’t care. You could whine all you wanted with her.

“Oh, honey. Take a break with me, okay?” Wanda said, not waiting for an answer before she fixed up the things at your station and put the papers away. You watched her, not arguing against it, but some part of you still felt guilty about it.

“I have school and work for Tony—” you began. It was a weak argument and you knew it, but something inside you was compelled to say it.

“There are always extensions and Tony would much rather you rest than continue to work yourself sick,” Wanda pointed out, turning around when she finished organizing your things. She offered her hand out for you to take.

Deciding to give in (this was Wanda, after-all. You’d never say no to her), you accepted her hand and stood up. But when you tried to walk, you ended up stumbling. The pain in your ankle had gotten much worse with it being untreated.

“Okay, first stop: medbay,” Wanda said, doing her best not to get frustrated that you had neglected your health. She knew that you were only trying to do your best and hadn’t meant to hurt yourself.

You nodded. Deep down, you knew it was needed — not just for your ankle, but also for whatever you were ailed with. Wanda looped one of your arms around her neck and one of her arms around your waist, allowing you to give her most of your weight as she helped you walk to the medbay.

It took some time, but the two of you made it there. “Hey, Dr. Cho. I have a patient for you,” Wanda greeted as they entered, causing Dr. Cho to turn around from her computer.

“Of course, sit up here,” Dr. Cho said, gesturing to an examination table before she went to grab her medical bag.

Wanda wasted no time in lifting you up and setting you down on the table. “Do you want me stay for this? I can wait outside if you want,” she asked, not wanting to invade on your privacy.

“Only if you want to,” you said. Normally you weren’t so shy, but when it came to Wanda? She seemed to have some sort of power over you.

Wanda smiled and waited with you while Dr. Cho grabbed her things. She walked over and instructed you to lift your leg up on the table. After probing around the ankle and seeing that it was swollen, she determined that it was a bad sprain and wrapped it up. Then, she grabbed her stereoscope. Wanda watched as you breathed in and out patiently. When she was done, she grabbed a thermometer to take your temperature.

“You do have a fever, 101.2. It is a little high, but I’m not too worried about it right now,” Dr. Cho said, before looking in your ears and throat. “I think you’re just going to need plenty of rest and fluids. Rest your ankle, too. You can take some medication for your fever and any pain.”

“Thank you,” you said, throat a little croaky.

She smiled. “Of course.”

Wanda helped you off from the table and to your room. You were content to rest on your own, but realized that wasn’t going to happen when Wanda propped up pillows for your back and ankle and went into your bathroom to grab some stuff.

“Y/N, you don’t have any medicine in here?” Wanda called, making you chuckle.

“I’m fine, really—” you cut yourself off with a string of your own sneezes that soon dissolved into violent coughs.

Wanda immediately reappeared, walking over to rub your back. Once the fit was over, you leaned back, suddenly tired. “Okay, I’m feeling it now,” you muttered, sniffling.

“Aw, poor thing. I’ll be right back, okay?” Wanda said, brushing some of your hair back. You didn’t want to see her go (you got clingy when sick), but just nodded.

Somewhere along the way, you must’ve dozed off, because soon you woke to the smell of hot, delicious soup. Blinking your eyes open, you found a tray with soup being placed in front of you and your favorite sitcom playing on the TV.

“Oh, Wanda, you didn’t have to,” you said, heart warming at the kind gesture.

Wanda was sitting next to you with a large smile. “I wanted to. Is there anything else you need?” She asked.

Your shook her head. “I’ve got everything I need right here,” you said.

“Me, too — now eat up!” Wanda urged, making you laugh.

Doing what she said, you began eating the soup. “Did you cook this yourself? This is amazing,” you complimented between slurps.

Wanda giggled. “I did,” she said, leaning back against your bed and stretching an arm out. You gladly leaned against her, relishing in her warmth.

Meanwhile, Wanda was freaking out on the inside — you had leaned into her touch! She couldn’t be more happy and did her best to pay attention to the sitcom (though her mind kept on drifting to you) as you finished the soup.

When you were done, you found your head falling onto Wanda’s shoulder. The Scarlet Witch did her best not to freak out but when she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, your grip loosen on your spoon, she dared to look over.

A smile lifted up her face when she saw you fast asleep on her shoulder — god, you were the cutest. Wanda very gently went to maneuver you so your head leaned on your pillow, but a whine from you made her stop. “No, want you,” you mumbled, clearly out of it with sleep, as you just nuzzled your head against her.

Wanda blinked. This was just sleepy nonsense, right? “W-what?” She said, laughing it off.

“I want you, Wan. Don’ leave,” you said.

Her smile grew brighter. “I’m not leaving you, just gotta move the tray, okay?” She said.

You nodded a little at that and allowed Wanda to move your head onto the pillow. She moved your tray and put it on the table. When she turned back to you, you moved closer to her, your arm draping over her stomach.

Wanda just giggled. “You want me to stay?” She asked quietly, so as to not disturb you.

You nodded. “Mhm,” you said, eyes still closed.

Wanda turned off the television and laid down, fixing the blankets over you and herself. Just before she put her head on the pillow, she took a second to look at you. You warmed her heart. This was perfect. Wanda had an idea and her instincts, her gut, told her to make the leap and go for it.

She dipped her head and pressed her lips to your forehead, giving you a sweet kiss. She went to pull away, only to hear you say, “Could you . . . Could you do it again?”

She leaned back in. “On your forehead?” She asked.

Now, your eyes fluttered open, meeting her gaze. “Nope,” you said, smiling yourself.

Wanda kissed your lips this time and you kissed back, your arm tightening around her.

When you leaned back, you were a little dazed. “Wow,” you whispered. “Your magic even extends to your kisses.”

“Does it?” Wanda asked, teasing.

You nodded and leaned your head back against her. Wanda wrapped her arms around you and in minutes, you had fallen back asleep. She didn’t even care that you had kissed her when you were sick, she was just happy to hold you. Which was what she did, looking over you, until she fell asleep herself.

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[totowlff]

chapter forty-five — a little reason

➝ the turn of the events make elisabeth realize she needs to give something for her father to fight

➝ word count: 2,7k

➝ warnings: health issues and hospitals

➝ author’s note: happy birthday to elisabeth!

JULY, 2018

It all started with a cough.

Every now and then it would interrupt conversations and make humorous comments about cigarettes and smoke surface, only to be countered with acidity. It didn't take long for it to become part of the garage's ambient sound, along with the pneumatic pistols and engineers' codes, as well as the way he announced his arrival in the spaces, accompanied by a loud throat clearing.

Then came the slightly labored breathing, as if he had been running all the time, which wasn't far from the truth. He was unable to walk at a normal pace, even when his daughter asked him to wait since she was wearing heels.

However, it was Marlene's call, the morning after the German Grand Prix, that made Elisabeth jump out of bed, feeling her heart sink inside her chest.

— What are you saying, mom? — she questioned, part of her begging that what she thought she had heard was a lie.

— It's your father, Elschen — Marlene replied, her nasal voice confirming that she had cried before making that call — He coughed up blood tonight...

— What? Blood? Coughing up blood? — Elisabeth asked, as she sat on the bed.

— When I went to see him in the bathroom, there was blood in the sink and he was choking, Elschen. He just couldn't breathe...

— Mom, where are you? Where? — Elisabeth questioned, her feet leading her to the closet to get something to wear, everything seeming like a big blur because of the tears that accumulated in her eyes.

— We're in the hospital — her mother said before her voice broke. After a heavy sigh, she continued — At the AKH.

— Do my brothers already know? — she asked, grabbing a pair of jeans and a white shirt.

— Yes, I sent them messages. Lukas and Mathias will see if they can leave Ibiza later.

— Okay, I'll leave in a little, I'll be there in half an hour.

When the call ended, Elisabeth was shaking and her cheeks were wet. It was as if the world had stopped spinning in those few minutes, fear gnawing at her chest like acid. That couldn't happen, it simply couldn't, not at that moment, without him knowing that he would be a grandfather again.

— Liesl? — Toto asked from somewhere behind her — Was that your mother on the phone? Did something happen to Niki?

Turning to him, the team principal soon realized that something was wrong.

— He's in the hospital — Elisabeth stammered, drying her face.

He pursed his lips for a few seconds, before running a hand through her messy curls. The look they exchanged was enough for him to understand the gravity of the situation.

— Dress yourself, I’ll take you there — he said, before turning around and going to the bathroom.

Within minutes, the two were already in the car, traveling through the streets of Vienna in the direction of Alsergrund, where the AKH was located. The tension was palpable in the silence that hung between them. Staring at the movement on the sidewalks, Elisabeth could only think about what her father was like at that moment. Would he be conscious or completely unconscious, with a tube stuck down his throat?

It reminded her of her mother talking about the fluid aspiration sessions they did at the hospital right after Niki's accident. Even though doctors said it was not recommended to do the procedure so many times in a row, he insisted, saying that it would help him recover more than waiting for his body to do the work on its own. Niki had already suffered so much in hospitals that the idea of seeing him return was agonizing, not to say desperate, for Elisabeth.

— Liesl — Toto murmured, placing a hand on her leg — Is everything okay?

— Yes, I’m just — she hesitated, placing her hand over his — Worried.

— Did your mother give any details about how he is?

— No, she just asked me to go to the hospital — Elisabeth said, before remaining silent for long seconds — What if he's really sick? What if he's dying?

— Your father isn't dying, Elisabeth — the team principal said, emphatically — He just had a setback, that happens.

—Toto, coughing up blood is not a setback.

— Setback or not, doesn't matter at this moment — he replied — What matters is that you need to stay calm, not just for yourself, right?

Looking at her own abdomen, Elisabeth took a deep breath, pursing her lips. The baby definitely didn't deserve all that load of tension, even though it was the only thing she was capable of feeling at that moment.

After going around the AKH complex, Toto found a space near the hospital entrance, parking the silver Mercedes with caution. As soon as he turned off the vehicle, Elisabeth unfastened her seat belt and opened the door, placing her bag on her shoulder and walking towards the front door.

The automatic doors opened and she headed towards the reception, where a woman was typing something on the computer, her expression not very interested.

— Hi, I would like to see a patient.

— Name? — she asked, without looking up from the screen.

— Oh, it's Andreas. Andreas Nikolaus Lauda.

The woman made a few clicks and typed something on the keyboard.

— Relative?

— I'm his daughter.

— And I'm his son-in-law — someone said behind her. Looking over her shoulder, Elisabeth saw that Toto had arrived, still a little out of breath.

— The patient was admitted to the emergency room and is currently being treated — the woman said, without any emotion in her voice.

— Can I see him?

— Visiting hours are from three in the afternoon — the employee replied, without looking at her. Suddenly, Elisabeth felt her throat tighten, the anguish of not being able to see her father for so long making her eyes fill with tears.

— My mother is inside, she asked me to come — she stammered.

— I am not authorized to allow visitors to enter outside visiting hours.

— But…

— Sorry, these are the hospital rules and…

Toto stepped forward, interrupting the woman.

— Look, my fiancée is pregnant, her father was admitted coughing blood and the only thing we want is to have access to her mother and the doctors who are taking care of my father-in-law — he said, in a serious tone — If you don't want to have problems with barring Niki Lauda's daughter from seeing her father, I suggest you let us in.

The woman looked at Toto in surprise.

— Sir, I…

— Will I need to talk to your boss about this?

Pursing her lips, the employee picked up the phone and dialed in some numbers. After a quick conversation, she went back to typing on the computer, printing two labels with the word 'visitor' written in bold letters.

— The emergency department is right ahead, it's marked with a sign — the woman said, holding out her fingers with the stickers towards them.

— Thank you very much — Toto said dryly, taking the stickers.

As she put her identification on her blouse, Elisabeth couldn't shake the horrible feeling that had come over her the moment the hospital employee denied them entry into the emergency room. It was as if all the fear she had managed to keep bottled up inside her was released at once, causing her hands to feel cold and her lower lip to tremble.

Following the signs that hung from the ceiling, she was already imagining the worst-case scenario when her eyes caught a woman with her hair tied in a somewhat familiar way sitting with her back to her.

— Mom? — she said, causing Marlene to turn her face back. Upon realizing that it was her daughter who was there, she jumped up, going over to her and hugging her tightly.

— Elschen — her mother stammered, as the tears finally ran down Elisabeth's face — I'm glad you're here, so glad...

— What happened?

— Your father — Marlene began, her voice becoming too choked to continue for a few seconds. After taking a deep breath, she managed to speak — He has a serious problem with his lungs.

— But, how? He was fine, mom, he was at the race with us...

— It seems that his lungs were already weakened and the cold he caught made everything worse. The doctor said something about bleeding, but I didn't really understand, I was so nervous. He was out of breath, Elschen, completely out of breath...

The description of the moments before her father was hospitalized made Elisabeth's stomach turn. She couldn't imagine the despair Marlene had felt when she saw Niki feeling bad, much less when she received the news that he was in fact sick. It must have been like reliving everything that had happened at the Nürburgring, but with the added factor that she was the one who needed to save him.

Drying her face, Elisabeth allowed Toto to greet Marlene and question her about Niki's health. Upon realizing that she didn't have a lot of information, he decided to go after the doctor in charge of Niki’s treatment, while the two sat in the waiting room, hand in hand, facing the agony of waiting for more news from Niki.

— Mom? — Elisabeth murmured.

— Yeah?

— Do you think my father will…

— No — Marlene interrupted her sharply — You're not going to finish that sentence, Elisabeth.

— But…

— I've seen your father in a worse situation than this. I saw your father completely burned, his skin swollen and blistered. I saw him ask for a priest and tell him to fuck off when he heard the man praying over his bed — she said, seriously — Your father is strong, Elisabeth.

She lowered her head, sniffling. It wasn't the time to think the worst, but she couldn't help it, especially when she thought that maybe he would never meet the granddaughter he had dreamed of so much. When she felt her mother's free hand wipe a tear from her cheek, Elisabeth raised her head.

— Don't worry, darling — Marlene said, caressing her face — He's going to come out of this even stronger.

She limited herself to a smile, as she saw Toto walking towards them with a serious expression on his face. As soon as he sat down, she questioned him about Niki's situation, as well as when they could see him.

— You know that Niki's lungs are not very strong due to the smoke he breathed in at the Nürburgring. And because of this, the flu he caught in recent weeks evolved into inflammation in his lungs and airways. That's why he was short of breath and coughing so much — the team leader explained.

— When are we going to see him? — Elisabeth asked.

— When he is stabilized — Toto replied, brushing a strand of hair away from her face — But doctor Idzko is very optimistic, he said that cases like this, no matter how delicate they are, are simple to solve.

Nodding, she just hoped the doctor was right.

A few hours had already passed when a man with white hair and thin-rimmed glasses approached Elisabeth, who was alone in the waiting room, as Marlene was in the bathroom and Toto was in the hospital cafeteria, looking for something to eat.

— Miss Lauda?

— Yes, it's me — she replied immediately, jumping up.

— I'm doctor Christian Hengstenberg, head of internal medicine at the hospital and responsible for the team taking care of Mr. Lauda.

— Did something happen? Is my father okay?

— No, I mean, beyond the obvious, no — the doctor said, smiling — Mr. Lauda is responding well to our interventions in these first hours, which is good news.

That was a relief for Elisabeth, who put her hand to her chest as she let out a heavy sigh.

— Is he breathing better?

— Yes, with assistance, of course, but he is stabilized.

— Can I see him?

The man hesitated for a few seconds.

— Well, I believe we can make an exception for you, but, due to immunosuppression therapy, we will need to take some precautions. Can you come with me?

Elisabeth waved, following the doctor through the hospital corridors with her heart pounding in her chest. After putting on a mask and washing her hands, she was finally led to the door of her father's room.

— A moment, please — Doctor Hengstenberg said, before putting on his mask and opening the door — Mr. Lauda, there is someone here to see you.

She walked in slowly, finding Niki lying on the bed, a catheter in his nose to provide oxygen and an IV access in his arm with medicine slowly dripping out. Without the red cap on his head, Elisabeth's father looked like a different person, much more fragile and delicate with the scars exposed on his head.

— Mauslein — Niki murmured hoarsely. That word was enough to make her eyes fill with tears, while the doctor said he would give them space to talk.

— Hi, dad — Elisabeth replied, approaching the edge of the bed. She wanted to hug him, kiss him, scold him for scaring her. However, she simply took his hand, caressing her skin with her thumb — How are you?

— For a half-dead man? Pretty good.

She giggled.

— Mom said you felt bad last night.

— Yeah, I coughed a little.

— Coughed up blood, I mean.

—That's just a detail...

— It's not a detail, so much so that you're here — Elisabeth countered.

Her father just gave a small smile.

— You know I've been through worse, right? — he asked softly.

— Yeah, I know, dad.

— Then, don't worry. This is a vacation in comparison to those 42 days.

— But that's precisely why you should be more careful — she said, looking at their joined hands — We still have so much to live, dad.

Niki squeezed her fingers lightly.

— And we will, Mauslein. Don't think I forgot I have to take you to Toto next month.

Elisabeth smiled beneath her mask.

— So, about that… It won't be next month anymore.

— What do you mean by that? — Niki questioned, the beeping of the machine that monitored his heartbeat becoming more frequent — Did he break up with you? Or was it you who ended it all? If Toto did anything to you, Mauslein, I swear I will...

— Dad, please, Toto didn't do anything — she said, trying to calm him down — Actually he did, but it's nothing like what you're thinking.

He blinked, confused.

— But…

— When I said that we still have a lot to live, I wasn't just talking about the two of us — Elisabeth whispered, bringing Niki's hand to her belly. As he pressed the skin lightly, he felt the firm spot under Elisabeth's shirt and raised his blue eyes to hers.

— Are you serious? — her father stammered, looking shocked — You mean you two finally decided to give me a granddaughter?

Elisabeth nodded, the words catching in the lump that had formed in her throat. However, it was not the time to cry, not when there was nothing but joy on Niki's face, as she stared at her belly in an enchanted way.

— We still don't know if it's a girl — she finally managed to say.

— Too soon to know? Or is she not cooperating?

She laughed.

— We decided that we will only find out on the day the baby is born.

— Why?

— Because we don't want you to be upset if it's not what you want.

Niki gave her daughter a loving smile.

— I won't be upset — he explained — I'll just be even happier if it's a girl, but what matters is that I'm going to be a grandfather again and...

Her father's voice broke, partly because of the hoarseness and partly because of the emotion that had finally overflowed in his eyes, the tears shyly running down her face. And seeing Niki so moved by the new addition to the family made her sob, tears wetting her mask.

However, there was no sadness. Just happiness.

That moment ended up being interrupted by doctor Hengstenberg, who stated that he needed to take her back to the waiting room to allow Marlene to enter. Looking at her father, Elisabeth ran a loving hand across his forehead, feeling the texture of the scars beneath her fingers.

— You know we can't keep Mrs. Lauda waiting, right?

— Indeed, we can't — Niki smiled at her daughter — Take care of my granddaughter, okay?

— I'll take care of it — she replied, laughing — Any messages for Toto?

— Tell him I'll keep an eye on everything and that I'll be in touch. Oh, and it's better for him to have made a girl, otherwise I'm going to rip his balls off.

— You can't rip his balls off, how will he be able to try to make a girl again if it’s a boy?

Niki was thoughtful.

— Yeah, you're right. But I'll give them at least one kick.

— No, you won't.

— Let's see if I won’t, Mauslein.

[o-craven-canto]

How many different sounds -- reasonably distinguishable by human speakers and listener -- can a language have?

Looking at the table of the International Phonetic Alphabet, consonants are mainly distinguished by place and manner of articulation, which is to say the part of the mouth where the airflow is restricted to produce sound and how that restriction occurs.

The most restrictive consonants are called stops or plosives, which stop the airflow altogether and release it with a burst. The IPA table divides them into seven places of articulation: bilabial (p & b), coronal (t & d), retroflex (ʈ & ɖ, like t & d, but with your tongue curling backward in the mouth, common in Indian languages), palatal (c & ɟ, roughly like ky and gy), velar (k & g), uvular (q & ɢ, similar to k & g but pronounced further back in the mouth), and glottal (ʔ, the Bri'ish glo'al stop) (there is also an epiglottal stop ʡ which I really don't understand). Sometimes you also see labiodental stops (p̪, b̪) pronounced by touching lower lip and upper teeth, like the first sound in the German Pferd. The coronal t & d can be divided in dental, alveolar, and postalveolar, depending on where exactly the tip of your tongue touches your teeth, but distinguishing those is not common. (Though Dahalo distinguishes laminal and apical t & d, so produced with the blade vs. the tip of your tongue). Oh, and there's the labiovelar stops (k͡p, ɡ͡b) of African languages such as Igbo and Yoruba, which actually combines two places into one; and the linguolabial stops made by touching your tongue against your upper lip (t̼, d̼).

The stops in each of these places, except for the glottal, can also be articulated in different ways. The "basic" way is called voiceless (p t k). Then there is voiced articulation, in which your vocal chords vibrate to make the sound slightly more sonorous (b d g). Then they can be aspirated (pʰ tʰ kʰ, compare "t" in "top" vs. "stop": the first is released with a slight puff of air). They can also be both voiced and aspirated at the same time (bʱ dʱ gʱ, like in the original pronunciation of Buddha). Then there are ejectives (pʼ tʼ kʼ, like in Maya), when air is ejected from the mouth without passing through the throat at all, and implosives (ɓ ɗ ɠ, like in Vietnamese), where air goes the other way creating a "gulping" sound. There's such a thing as "nasal" and "lateral release" of stops, but from what I find they are not treated as distinct sounds from the standard form.

So using only stops gives us 10 places (bilabial, labiodental, linguolabial, laminal dental, apical dental, retroflex, palatal, velar, uvular, labiovelar) x 6 (voiceless, voiced, aspirated, voiced + aspirated, ejective, implosive) + 2 (glottal & epiglottal stops) = 62 distinct consonantal sounds. Good start.

The second-most restrictive manner of articulation is that of nasals, which close the mouth completely and redirect air through the nasal passage. The places of articulation are largely the same: bilabial (m), labiodental (ɱ, the "m" in "amphor"), linguolabial (n̼), coronal (n), retroflex (ɳ, like n but curling the tongue backward), palatal (ɲ, like "ni" in "onion" or Spanish ñ), velar (ŋ, like "ng" in "sing"), uvular (ɴ, the "n" in Japanese san), and the co-articulated labial-velar ŋ͡m (like m and ng at the same time). They can be both voiced and voiceless, even though the latter are rare. That makes for 10x2 = 20 nasal consonants.

Then come fricatives, which make hissing or buzzing sounds. Again similar places: bilabial (ɸ β, pronounced with lips almost touching, e.g. the first sound of Japanese Fuji), labiodental (f v), dental (θ ð, the "th" of "thigh" and "thy") linguolabial (θ̼ ð̼, see earlier), alveolar (s z), postalveolar (ʃ ʒ, like the central sounds of "fission" and "vision"), palato-alveolar (ɕ ʑ, like ʃ ʒ but with the tongue pushing forward), retroflex (ʂ ʐ, like ʃ ʒ but with the tongue curling backward), palatal (ç ʝ, the first like the "h" in "hue"), velar (x ɣ, the first like the "ch" in Bach), uvular (χ ʁ, like the previous but further back in the throat), epiglottal (ħ ʕ, don't ask), and glottal (h ɦ). Each of these can, again, be voiceless, voiced, or (except the last two) ejective. There is also a mysterious "palatal-velar" ɧ that seems to exist only in Swedish. I'm counting 11x3 + 2x2 + 1 = 38 fricative sounds.

Actually, there is a second row of lateral fricatives, in which air passses by the sides of the tongue. The most common is coronal (ɬ ɮ, like "ll" in Welsh), but there's also retroflex (ꞎ), palatal (ʎ̝), and velar (ʟ̝). All voiced or voiceless, so 8 more fricatives for a total of 46.

Approximants are yet looser. We got labiodental ʋ (the Hindi pronunciation of "v", kinda halfway between English v and w), coronal ɹ (a common English pronunciation of "r"), retroflex ɻ, palatal j ("y" in "year"), velar ɰ (an extremely soft sound, sometimes "g" between vowels in Spanish), and glottal ʔ̞, which I'm not counting because I think it's the same as a vowel modification we'll get to later. Oh, and then labiovelars (voiced w as in "wealth" and voiceless ʍ as in "whale") and labial-palatal ɥ (as "u" in French nuit). I think they could all be voiced and voiceless, so that's 7x2 = 14 approximants.

But approximants can be lateral too, with what you could call the "L series": coronal l (and its velarized counterpart ɫ as in "lull"), retroflex , ɭ, palatal ʎ (as "gl" in Italian), velar ʟ (as "l" in "alga"), and uvular ʟ̠. So thats 5x2 = 10 more to make 24.

Then taps or flaps. I'm not familiar with these, except that the coronal flap ɾ is how Spanish -r- and American English -tt- may sound between vowels. Then there's bilabial ⱱ̟, labiodental ⱱ, linguolabial ɾ̼, retroflex ɽ, uvular ɢ̆, and epiglottal ʡ̆. Adding the voiceless and lateral (and both) versions recorded in the chart, I get to 15 taps.

Finally there's trills. We get bilabial ʙ (a kind of raspberry sound), coronal r (the "rolled r"), retroflex ɽr (?), uvular ʀ (French "r"), and epiglottal ʜ & ʢ (which are sometimes among fricatives). Add unvoiced for all, and we get 5x2 = 10 trills.

No, wait. There's affricates too, which are really stops + fricatives (including lateral) of the same place of articulation. Each affricate can also be voiced vs. voiceless (except the glottal) and aspirated vs. not (except the epiglottal), so I believe that makes 15x4 + 2 + 1 = 63 affricates.

No, wait. There's still the clicks. They may be used only in languages from Southern Africa, but that's no excuse not to count them. I don't understand them perfectly, but the basic types seem to be bilabial ʘ (basically lip-smacking), dental ǀ (tsk), alveolar ǃ (like doing a clopping sound with your tongue), palatal ǂ, retroflex ‼ (don't ask me about these), and lateral ǁ (a clicking sound with the side of the tongue). Each of them can be voiceless or voiced, aspirated or not, nasalized or glottalized or have 6 types of pulmonic countour or 5 types of ejective contour, plus a preglottalized nasal type and an egressive only for the labial click (please don't ask me). I believe that makes for... 6 x ((4x3) + 6 + 5 + 1) + 1 = 145 potential click sounds, and some Khoisan languages go pretty close to using them all.

That's not quite all -- I haven't counted nasalization or glottalization of most types of consonants, for example, but by my count we have put together 62 stops + 20 nasals + 46 fricatives + 24 approximants + 15 taps + 10 trills + 63 affricates + 145 clicks = 385 distinct consonants sounds.

To be continued with the vowels.

[zaobitouguang]

The Sounds of Taiwanese

I'm back to posting about Taiwanese after... we don't have to say how long haha. In this post I'm going to break down the vowels and consonants of Taiwanese! We'll save the tones for later because I think they deserve a post of their own. Transcriptions in this post are in the Tâi-lô romanization system.

Taiwanese Initial Consonants

The four main places of articulation used in Taiwanese are bilabial, alveolar, velar, and glottal. These correspond to the places of articulation used for the English/Mandarin pinyin letters p, t, k, and h.

The nasal consonants in Taiwanese are similar to their English/Mandarin counterparts, except that ng can appear at the beginning of syllables, as in the word 扭 ngiú "to twist". To practice this sound, say a word like "singing", then take off the si-.

Taiwanese distinguishes three types of stop and affricate consonants: voiced unaspirated, voiceless unaspirated, and voiceless aspirated. The latter two are about the same as b and p in Mandarin, which lacks fully voiced consonants. Most English speakers (to my knowledge) don't produce fully voiced stop consonants either, so this distinction can take some practice and listening.

Taiwanese aspirates are alveolar in most contexts, meaning they are pronounced like the ts in a word like "cats", but alveolo-palatal when they come before the vowel -i, meaning they are closer to a Mandarin q/j/x or English ch sound.

Taiwanese l can vary between an l sound and a tapped r, like the r in Spanish or Japanese.

Taiwanese Vowels

Taiwanese's six vowel system is actually pretty straightforward compared to Mandarin's. i, e, a, and u are pronounced similarly to Spanish (as opposed to English, in which we like to make our vowels into diphthongs). oo is like a Spanish o, produced with the mouth slightly more open.

o is pronounced like a Spanish o in Northern Taiwan and a schwa (the vowel in English "but") in Southern Taiwan.

Taiwanese has a diphthongs (combinations of two vowels) and triphthongs (combinations of three vowels). They are: ai, au, ia, iau, io, iu, ua, uai, ue, and ui.

Taiwanese also has syllabic nasals! The consonants m and ng can appear as the final of a syllable without a vowel, as in the words 毋 m̄ "not" and 遠 hn̄g "far".

Taiwanese also also has nasalized vowels, as in French "non". Most vowels and diphthongs can be nasalized, but not all. In Tâi-lô, a nasalized vowel is represented with two n's, as in ann or iunn.

Taiwanese Final Consonants

Taiwanese syllables can not only end in -n and -ng, like in Mandarin, but also -m.

Taiwanese syllables can also end in stop consonants! These consonants are generally not released. This is similar to the how final consonants of the English words "stop", "cat", and "back" are commonly pronounced.

The glottal stop doesn't so much have a sound of its own, but it makes the preceding vowel sound short and cut off. The sound in the middle of the English word "uh-oh" is a glottal stop.

Final Notes

There are rules governing the ways that these initials, vowels, and final consonants can be combined, but I don't think memorizing them is that useful to a beginning learner.

I've provided IPA and the best explanations I could come up with, but if you want to learn to pronounce Taiwanese the best thing to do is listen! Most resources come with audio, as does the dictionary https://sutian.moe.edu.tw/.

The sources I used for this post include Taiwanese Grammar: A Concise Reference by Philip T. Lin, Short Takes: A Scene-Based Taiwanese Vocabulary Builder by Pin-chih Chi, Southern Hokkien: An Introduction by Bernhard Fuehrer and Yang Hsiu-Fang, and the Wikipedia page for Taiwanese Hokkien.

[xuexishijian]

Articulatory Phonetics - 调音语音学

字音 zǐyīn - (n.) consonant (also 福音 fǔyīn)

调音部位diàoyīnbùwèi - (n.) place of articulation (also 发音部位)

双唇音 shuāngchúnyīn - (n.) bilabial sound

唇齿音/齿唇音 chúnchǐyīn/chǐchúnyīn - (n.) labiodental sound

齿音 chǐyīn - (n.) dental sound

齿龈音 chǐyínyīn - (n.) alveolar sound

龈腭音 yín'èyīn - (n.) alveolo-palatal sound

卷舌音 juǎnshéyīn - (n.) retroflex sound

腭音 èyīn - (n.) palatal sound

软腭音 ruǎn'èyīn - (n.) velar sound

小舌音 xiǎoshéyīn - (n.) uvular sound

咽音 yānyīn - (n.) pharyngeal sound

声门音/喉音 shēngményīn/hóuyīn - (n.) glottal sound

调音方法 diàoyīnfāngfǎ - (n.) manner of articulation

阻碍音 zǔ'àiyīn - (n.) obstruent

塞音 sèyīn - (n.) stop, plosive

擦音 cāyīn - (n.) fricative

咝音 sīyīn - (n.) sibilant

塞擦音 sècāyīn - (n.) affricate

响音 xiǎngyīn - (n.) sonorant

鼻音 bíyīn - (n.) nasal

流音 liúyīn - (n.) liquid

边音 biānyīn - (n.) lateral

近音 jìnyīn - (n.) approximant

半元音bànyuányīn - (n.) semivowel, glide

颤音 chànyīn - (n.) trill

弹音 tányīn - (n.) tap

闪音 shǎnyīn - (n.) flap

发声态 fāshēngtài - (n.) phonation

清音 qīngyīn - (n.) voiceless sound

浊音 zhuóyīn (n.) voiced sound

送气音 sòngqìyīn - (n.) aspirated sound

不送气音 búsòngqìyīn - (n.) unaspirated sound (also 非送气音)

发声起始时间 fāshēngqǐshǐshíjiān - (n.) voice-onset time (VOT)

元音 yuányīn - (n.) vowel

元音高度 yuányīn gāodù - (n.) vowel height

元音舌位 yuányīn shéwèi - (n.) vowel backness

前元音 qiányuányīn - (n.) front vowel

央元音 yāngyuányīn - (n.) central vowel

后元音 hòuyuányīn - (n.) back vowel

闭元音 bìyuányīn - (n.) close vowel

次闭元音 cìbìyuányīn - (n.) near-close vowel

半闭元音 bànbìyuányīn - (n.) close-mid vowel

中元音 zhōngyuányīn - (n.) mid vowel

半开元音 bànkāiyuányīn - (n.) open-mid vowel

次开元音 cìkāiyuányīn - (n.) near-open vowel

开元音 kāiyuányīn - (n.) open vowel

圆唇元音 yuánchúnyuányīn- (n.) rounded vowel

不圆唇元音 bùyuánchúnyuányīn - (n.) unrounded vowel

鼻化元音 bíhuāyuányīn - (n.) nasal vowel

声调/声 shēngdiào/shēng - (n.) tone

阴平声 yīnpíngshēng - (n.) high level tone

阳平声 yángpíngshēng - (n.) rising tone

上声 shǎngshēng (also shàngshēng) - (n.) falling-rising tone

去声 qùshēng - (n.) falling tone

轻声 qīngshēng - (n.) neutral tone

声道 shēngdào - (n.) vocal tract

发音器官 fāyīnqìguān - (n.) articulators, speech organs

肺脏 fèizàng - (n.) lungs

喉 hóu - (n.) larynx

声带 shēngdài - (n.) vocal folds

振动 zhèndòng - (v.) vibrate

口腔 kǒuqiāng - (n.) oral cavity

颚 è - (n.) jaw

鼻腔 bíqiāng - (n.) nasal cavity

舌根 shégēn - (n.) tongue root

舌面 shémiàn - (n.) tongue body (dorsum) (also 舌背）

舌尖 shéjiān - (n.) tongue tip

We can also divide the tongue like this: 舌前部，舌中部，舌后部

气流机制 qìliújīzhì - (n.) airstream mechanism

外呼音 wàihūyīn - (n.) egressive sound

内吸音 nèixīyīn - (n.) ingressive sound

肺部外呼音 fèibùwàihūyīn - (n.) pulmonic egressive sound

声门外呼音 shēngménwàihūyīn - (n.) glottalic egressive sound

挤喉音 jǐhóuyīn - (n.) ejective consonant

声门内吸音 shēngménnèixīyīn - (n.) glottalic ingressive sound

内爆音 nèibàoyīn - (n.) implosive consonant

舌内吸音 shénèixīyīn - (n.) lingual (velaric) ingressive sound

搭嘴音 dāzuǐyīn - (n.) click consonant

声源-滤波器理论 shēngyuán-lǜbōqì lǐlùn - (n.) source-filter theory

[multiversetravelingjournalist]

Arknights: Durin Conlang

So... I just learned that Arknights and its world of Terra has its own version of the vertically challenged underground-dwelling comedy relief people. so, like any sane artist I decided that they too will get their own language alongside the other languages I have cooking for the other nations (which I should make a list for, like the Mass Effect one).

in under an hour of brainstorming, I know these things will be featured:

Grammatical features will be governed by affixes that change and or remove the existing phonemes/suprasegmentals of the root word. in other words, changing the stress and/or tone, the place/ manner of articulation of the consonants, and/or the openness, frontness, nasality, length, voicing, etcetera of the vowel will determine things like tense, plurality, person, and other features that I haven't seen in any other natural or constructed language.

Derivational affixes (those that change the definition of the word itself down to whether it's now a noun or a verb) will use the more traditional prefixes, suffixes, circumfixes, and the rare infix. as well as good old compounding.

derivation includes a tool for doing the verb, a person who does the verb, and the person who is the receiver of the verb. e.g. "weapon", "warrior/soldier", and "murder victim" could have the same root.

the two systems above have their own metaphorical terms to describe how they work and are viewed by native speakers. respectively, they are called "Sculpture" and "decoration". with grammar being viewed as -- in this case -- literally changing and refining the shape of the word. while the derivations are viewed as adding little touches to an already finished work.

The phonology of this language will have lots of plosive. perhaps in addition to using most places of articulation, they are more diversified by secondary articulations like aspiration, palatalization, labialization. maybe there are additional phonemes such as affricates, nasal releases, lateral releases, rhotic releases, that will drive up that plosive count.

Syllables might have plosives and/or affricates in the onset and the other consonants like nasals and liquids in the coda. this is based on English onomatopoeia like "bam", "clang", "crash", etcetera. a sort of friendly acknowledgement at the literary roots that the race is no doubt based on.

These are the things that I am most sure to include in the final version of the language. but they are also subject to change. already I am wondering if I should switch the morphological nature of the grammar and derivational morphologies. seeing as derivation is more like changing the shape of a word more deeply while morphology is more like the bits and pieces you would add afterwards. what would you think?

there are also some features I am considering but not yet sure about committing to just yet. some of those features being:

subject and object person being marked by the manner of articulation in the onset and coda.

tense/aspect/mood/other marking via the properties of the vowel in the root's nucleus.

direction words encoding three-dimensional information due to living in an underground maze-like environment.

a metaphor for time going from light to dark.

This is all I got for now, I'll try to keep you updated on any progress. till then, feedback is appreciated. till next time... ;).

[galacticsand]

Movelang #001 - Phonology and Sound System

Nophhurra, and hello again everyone! It's time for another post showing off my experimental conlang, Movelang! This time around, I'll be going over Movelang's sound system: the consonants and vowels used, along with a currently loosely-defined syllable structure, as well as allophony!

Admittedly, the Phonology has been one of the aspects of Movelang which has been altered several times over, and has gone through several iterations before reaching the point at which it exists in the present. Since the emphasis for this conlang was moreso on grammar than on the phonoaesthetic, I had largely loosely defined it at the start, with only a vague idea of what Movelang would sound like. At the start, I took a lot of inspiration from the Coptic Language, as well as several African and Caucasian Languages. Later on as I began being more deterministic about the phonetic inventory of the language, it did change from this original vision in several ways, but I ended up ultimately with something I really like!

(My charts tend to prioritize neatness over exactness, so if there's a sound somewhere that doesn't exactly describe it completely correctly, please don't fight me 😭)

Phonemically, the consonant inventory consists of 2 nasals, 15 plosives, 4 fricatives, 2 liquids, and 1 tap. The plosives are split three ways by mode of articulation, where 5 stops are unaspirated: /p t t͡ɕ k q/, 5 stops are aspirated: /pʰ tʰ t͡ɕʰ kʰ qʰ/, and 5 are voiced: /b d d͡ʑ g ɢ/. Each mode of articulations contains a labial, dento-alveolar, palatal, velar, and uvular stop respectively. This was a choice inspired by both Ancient Greek, as well as the Coptic and Caucasian influence I mentioned earlier, and in an earlier version of the phonology, the palatal affricates were instead alveolar affricates: /t͡s t͡sʰ d͡z/. Accompanying the stops are 4 fricatives that roughly match 4/5 of the same manners of articulation: /s ɕ x ħ/. These were selected mainly for that reason, that they lie in the same POA as their stop counterparts, but I decided to throw in an oddball for the fricative furthest towards the back of the mouth. Originally, this was /h/ phonemically, but I was intrigued by Maltese's presence of /ħ/ as the sole voiceless fricative closest to the back of the mouth, so I decided to do this for Movelang, and I do love how it sounds! I personally think /x/ and /ħ/ pair nicely with each other! The Approximants and Nasals then weren't that hard to reckon, I simply filled in the gaps in the chart respectively. When I got to my /l/ sound though, I decided to make this a little bit different as well, and follow the lead of Mongolian, and make it /ɮ/ instead. I also made the decision to omit /w/ or any similar sound, since I have a habit of using this sound a lot whenever I make new sound systems, as a bit of a monkey-wrench to try and make myself work with.

For Allophony, most of this deals with the pronunciation of consonants. There are 3 major rules that come into effect when pronouncing consonants in particular places within a word. First, the nasals, /m n/, devoice to /m̥ n̥/ whenever they are preceded by a syllable that has an aspirated plosive in the coda, any of /pʰ tʰ t͡ɕʰ kʰ qʰ/. Secondly, /ɮ/ may devoice to /ɬ/ when next to any voiceless sound: a voiceless plosive or fricative. Finally, the alveolar tap /ɾ/ becomes trilled /r/ when it is geminated. These rules as you'll notice mostly depend on a sound's locale within a syllable, which I'll explain in greater detail when discussing syllable structure...

As for the vowels, these are quite simple. Movelang consists of seven phonemic vowels, which compliment the front and the back of the mouth. Movelang contains no phonemic length, tone, nasality, or anything else that would affect vowel quality in this way, at least phonemically, and only has these 7 plain oral vowels. There are 3 front vowels: /ɛ e i/, all of which are unrounded, and 4 back vowels: /ɑ ɔ o u/, all of which are rounded, except for the open back vowel.

In terms of vowel allophony, nothing really major happens to vowels. The only major rule which takes place with vowels, is that /ɑ/ goes to /a/ when near a palatal sound.

Additionally, the syllable shape in Movelang is pretty straightforward, it's pretty much CVC, but with a few additional caveats. The main difference, is that /j/ cannot be a coda consonant, which is reflected by the use of D for the coda consonant in my syllable shape notation, and additionally, only 6 consonants can end a word: /m t k q s r/, which is reflected by the use of K for a word-final coda consonant.

In addition to these tactical features, hiatus is permitted in Movelang, meaning that the onset consonant in syllables is optional even word-internally, and when this happens, the parallel vowels flow together smoothly, rather than having some epenthetic consonant placed between them, like a glottal stop. Gemination also happens quite frequently in Movelang, especially in compounds, and it is under these circumstances when /j/ technically can appear in the coda of a syllable, but only as a part of a geminate /j:/.

=-=-=-=

Alright! Well, that's pretty much it for phonology, at this point I'm going to try and stick to this phonology and not impulsively change it again, but knowing me, I can't make any promises XD. I hope you all enjoyed this look at the sound system! I look forward to posting some lexical samples in the next post, with these sounds intact, where I'll be showing you Movelang's class system in action! More on that later of course... Until then, I look forward to it, and I hope you all enjoyed this post! If you all have any questions, feel free to leave me a comment, or an ask!