VELARIC Meaning and
Definition
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Velaric refers to a manner of articulation in phonetics, specifically in the context of consonant sounds. It is a term used to describe a type of sound production involving the back of the tongue making contact with the velum or soft palate. The velum is the soft part of the roof of the mouth towards the back, located slightly behind the hard palate.
In velaric consonants, the airstream passes over the constriction created by the back of the tongue and the velum. This is in contrast to other manners of articulation, such as stops, where the airstream is completely blocked momentarily.
Velaric sounds are further classified into pulmonic clicks, ejective stops, implosive stops, and to some extent, even uvular stops. Pulmonic clicks involve a forward release of the air following the velaric constriction, resulting in a sound similar to a click. Ejective stops, on the other hand, involve a release of air that is simultaneously closed off at the glottis, creating a distinct burst of sound. Implosive stops are produced when the airflow is ingressive, creating a suction-like effect.
The term "velaric" is derived from the Latin word for velum, which means curtain or veil, referring to the soft palate's role in the production of these sounds. Velaric consonants are found in various languages across the world but are more commonly found in click languages and languages that have ejective or implosive sounds in their phonemic inventory.
Common Misspellings for VELARIC
Etymology of VELARIC
The word "velaric" has its etymology rooted in linguistics. It is derived from the Latin word "velum", meaning "veil" or "curtain". In linguistics, "velar" refers to sounds that involve the back part of the tongue approximating or touching the soft part of the palate, known as the velum. The addition of the suffix "-ic" indicates that it functions as an adjective in this context. So, the term "velaric" describes sounds produced by the contact or approximation between the back of the tongue and the velum.
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