Veláris

Veláris is a term used in linguistics to describe sounds produced with the back of the tongue against the soft palate, also known as the velum. These are a type of consonant sound. The velum is the fleshy part at the back of the roof of the mouth. When the tongue touches or comes close to this area, it creates an obstruction or constriction that shapes the airflow to produce a velar sound.

Common examples of velar consonants in English include the sounds represented by the letters 'k' in "cat" and 'g' in "go." The 'ng' sound in "sing" is also a velar nasal. Other languages have a wider range of velar sounds. For instance, some languages feature a velar fricative, like the 'ch' in Scottish "loch," or a velar approximant, similar to the 'w' in some pronunciations of "quick."

The place of articulation for velar sounds is important in distinguishing different phonemes within a language and in understanding the sound systems of various languages. Their production involves raising the back of the tongue towards the velum, which can be either a complete closure for stops (like 'k' and 'g'), a narrowing for fricatives, or a slight approximation for approximants.