Variable See Greek letter variable . The name of a place of articulation. The active articulator is the tongue back and the passive articulator is the soft palate. The name of a secondary articulation involving the addition of a high back tongue position to a primary articulation. A closure formed by raising the soft palate so that its rear face contacts the rear wall of the pharynx.
Velic closure prevents airflow into the nasal cavity.
Distinguish velar closure , which is a closure formed by the back of the tongue contacting the underside of the soft palate. An alternative term is velopharyngeal closure . Same as vocal folds . Two bands of tissue made up of a ligament, muscle and mucous membrane, attached to the inner surface of the apex of the thyroid cartilage and to the vocal processes of the arytenoid cartilages. Their vibration is known as voice or phonation.