Definition

Noun: A speech sound produced by raising the back of the tongue to make contact with or come close to the soft palate (the velum) at the rear of the roof of the mouth.

Usage

The term "velar consonant" is used in phonetics and linguistics to classify a specific place of articulation for consonant sounds. It describes how and where the sound is physically formed in the vocal tract.

Examples

• The sounds /k/ (as in "kite"), /g/ (as in "go"), and /ŋ/ (as in "sing") are all velar consonants in English.
• In the word "back" /bæk/, the final sound is a voiceless velar consonant.
• Phonologists study how velar consonants like /k/ and /g** can change their place of articulation in different linguistic environments.

Advanced Usage

• Velarization: A secondary articulation where the back of the tongue approaches the velum while producing another primary consonant (e.g., the "dark l" [ɫ] in some English pronunciations of "milk").
• Labio-velar consonant: A sound involving simultaneous articulation at the lips and the velum, such as /w/ in "wet".

Variants and Related Words

• Velar (Adjective): Pertaining to the velum or a velar consonant.
  • The /g/ sound is a velar plosive.
• Velum (Noun): The soft palate, the muscular rear part of the roof of the mouth.

Synonyms

• Dorsal consonant (in some broader classifications, though "dorsal" can also include uvular sounds).

Related Terms (Not Phrasal Verbs)

• Place of articulation: The point in the vocal tract where a consonant sound is produced.
• Palatal consonant: A sound produced with the body of the tongue against the hard palate (e.g., /j/ in "yes").
• Uvular consonant: A sound produced with the back of the tongue against or near the uvula (e.g., the French "r").

Noun

1. a consonant produced with the back of the tongue touching or near the soft palate