Uvular consonant

Type of consonantal sound

A uvular consonant is a type of consonant articulated with the back of the tongue against or near the uvula, which is located at the back of the oral cavity. Uvular consonants are found in various languages around the world, though they are relatively rare compared to other types of consonants.

Articulation

Uvular consonants are produced by the contact between the back of the tongue and the uvula. This place of articulation is known as the uvular place of articulation. The uvula is a small, fleshy extension at the back of the soft palate. Uvular sounds can be stops, fricatives, or nasals, among other types.

Types of Uvular Consonants

Uvular consonants can be classified into several types based on their manner of articulation:

• Uvular stops: These are produced by completely blocking the airflow at the uvula. An example is the voiceless uvular stop [q].
• Uvular fricatives: These are produced by constricting the airflow at the uvula, creating turbulence. Examples include the voiceless uvular fricative [_] and the voiced uvular fricative [_].
• Uvular nasals: These involve airflow through the nose while the oral cavity is blocked at the uvula. An example is the uvular nasal [_].

Occurrence in Languages

Uvular consonants are found in a variety of languages, though they are not as common as other places of articulation such as alveolar or velar. Some languages that feature uvular consonants include:

• Arabic: The voiceless uvular stop [q] is a distinctive phoneme in many dialects of Arabic.
• French: The voiced uvular fricative [_] is commonly used in standard French.
• Inuktitut: This language includes uvular stops and fricatives in its phonetic inventory.

Phonetic Representation

In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), uvular consonants are represented by specific symbols. For example, the voiceless uvular stop is represented by [q], and the voiced uvular fricative by [_].

See also

• Place of articulation
• Consonant
• Phonetics

Related pages

• Velar consonant
• Pharyngeal consonant

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.

Diagram of places of articulation, including the uvular region.