Velar and velic refer to two distinct but related phonetic concepts involving the soft palate, or velum, crucial for speech sound production. While 'velar' describes a place of articulation where the tongue touches the soft palate, 'velic' describes the closure mechanism of the soft palate itself to direct airflow.
Understanding Velar
Velar (from velum, meaning "veil" or "soft palate") primarily refers to a place of articulation in the mouth. When we produce velar sounds, the back of the tongue (known as the dorsum) makes contact with, or comes very close to, the soft palate. This contact creates an obstruction in the oral cavity.
- Mechanism: This specific contact is known as velar closure. During velar closure, the air passage in the oral cavity is blocked behind the back part of the tongue, at the soft palate.
- Examples: Common velar consonants in English include:
- /k/ as in cat or ski (voiceless velar stop)
- /g/ as in go or bag (voiced velar stop)
- /ŋ/ as in sing or bank (voiced velar nasal)
For a deeper dive, explore the concept of place of articulation in phonetics.
Understanding Velic
Velic (also from velum) refers to the closure of the soft palate against the back wall of the pharynx (throat). This action is specifically designed to shut off the passage of air into the nasal cavity, redirecting all airflow through the oral cavity.
- Mechanism: The soft palate is raised, pressing against the pharyngeal wall. This action is known as velic closure. When the velic closure is complete, the velopharyngeal port (the opening between the oral and nasal cavities) is sealed.
- Function: Velic closure is essential for producing oral sounds (like most vowels and consonants such as /p/, /t/, /s/, /f/, /k/). If the soft palate is lowered (velic opening), air can flow into the nasal cavity, producing nasal sounds (like /m/, /n/, /ŋ/) or nasalized vowels.
- Airflow Control: The velic mechanism acts like a switch, controlling whether air passes through the mouth, the nose, or both.
The Interplay: Velar and Velic Closures
While distinct, velar and velic closures often occur simultaneously, especially when producing oral velar consonants. For instance, in an oral velar stop like /k/ or /g/:
- Velar closure occurs as the back of the tongue presses against the soft palate, blocking airflow in the mouth.
- Velic closure also occurs, with the soft palate raised to seal off the nasal cavity, ensuring that the blocked air can only build pressure in the oral cavity before being released.
As such, both velar and velic closure contribute to the complete blockage of air necessary for sounds like /k/ and /g/.
Key Differences and Comparison
The table below summarizes the core distinctions between velar and velic concepts:
| Feature | Velar | Velic |
|---|---|---|
| What it refers to | Place of articulation for the tongue | Closure mechanism of the soft palate itself |
| Primary Articulator | Back of the tongue (dorsum) | Soft palate (velum) |
| Point of Contact | Back of the tongue against the soft palate | Soft palate against the pharyngeal wall |
| Airflow Impact | Blocks air within the oral cavity at the soft palate | Blocks or allows air passage to the nasal cavity |
| Resulting Sounds | Produces velar consonants (e.g., /k/, /g/, /ŋ/) | Determines whether sounds are oral (closure) or nasal (opening) |
| Function | Shapes the oral cavity for specific consonant production | Controls resonance and airflow direction (oral vs. nasal) |
| Analogy | A specific gate on a road (where the tongue meets the soft palate) | A main switch that turns the "nasal road" on or off (the velopharyngeal port) |
Understanding these differences is fundamental to analyzing how speech sounds are formed and the precise control the human vocal tract exercises over airflow.
