Velopharyngeal consonant

Consonant sound produced with the back of the tongue against the soft palate

Velopharyngeal consonant

A velopharyngeal consonant is a type of consonant sound used in some spoken languages. The term "velopharyngeal" refers to the articulation of these sounds, which involves the soft palate (or velum) and the pharynx.

Articulation

Velopharyngeal consonants are produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract, specifically at the velopharyngeal port, which is the area where the soft palate meets the pharynx. This articulation is distinct from other types of consonants, such as bilabial or alveolar consonants, which involve different parts of the mouth.

Occurrence

Velopharyngeal consonants are relatively rare in the world's languages. They are not found in English, but they do occur in some other languages. The presence of these sounds can be a distinguishing feature of certain language families or dialects.

Phonetic symbols

In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), velopharyngeal consonants are represented by specific symbols. For example, the voiced velopharyngeal fricative is represented by the symbol ___. The IPA provides a standardized way to transcribe these sounds, allowing linguists to study and compare them across different languages.

IPA symbol for a voiced velopharyngeal fricative

Related pages

• Consonant
• Phonetics
• International Phonetic Alphabet
• Articulatory phonetics

References

• Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-19814-8.
• Pullum, Geoffrey K.; Ladusaw, William A. (1996). Phonetic Symbol Guide. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-68532-2.