Velarise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To pronounce a sound by raising the back of the tongue toward the soft part of the roof of the mouth called the velum
2. In speech, to produce a consonant by making contact between the tongue's back and the soft palate
3. Articulating a sound with the tongue positioned against or near the velar region within the mouth

Etymology: "Velarise" is a straightforward formation: it combines "velar," an adjective describing sounds made with the back of the tongue raised toward the velum, with the verbal suffix "-ise," which turns a word into a verb meaning to make or cause something to become that thing. To velarise a sound is therefore to give it a velar quality, shifting its articulation so the back of the tongue rises against the soft palate. The base word "velar" carries the more interesting history. It derives from "velum," the Latin term for a covering or curtain, the same root that gives English "veil." Phoneticians borrowed it because the soft palate hangs down at the back of the mouth like a curtain, and the name fits the anatomy. The suffix "-ise" arrived in English through Old French from Greek-derived Latin endings, which explains the British spelling used here; American usage prefers "velarize."

Synonyms: velarize, pronounce with velar articulation, velarize consonant, velarized speech, velarized sound

Antonyms: alveolarize, palatalize, labialize, glottalize, develarize