uvulaarinen

Uvulaarinen is the Finnish term meaning “uvular” in English. It is used to describe features related to the uvula, the small fleshy projection that hangs from the back of the soft palate, and to the uvular place of articulation in phonetics.

In anatomy, the uvula participates in swallowing and speech. Terms describing it include uvulitis (inflammation of the uvula), elongation or hypertrophy of the uvula, and conditions where the uvula may contribute to snoring or obstructive sleep apnea in some individuals.

In linguistics, a uvular consonant is produced with the back of the tongue contacting or near the uvula. The phonetic inventory of uvulars includes stops such as voiceless [q] and voiced [ɢ], fricatives such as [χ] and [ʁ], and the uvular trill [ʀ], among others. These sounds occur in a variety of languages around the world, though they are less common than many other places of articulation. French, for example, frequently features a uvular rhotic in many dialects.

The term uvular, including its Finnish counterpart uvulaarinen, distinguishes articulation and anatomy occurring behind the velum from related terms for the tongue’s other contact points, such as palatal or velar places of articulation.