Function in Language
The uvula plays a role in the articulation of some sounds of the human voice. The uvula functions in tandem with the back of the throat, the palate, and air coming up from the lungs to create a number of guttural and other sounds. Uvular consonants are not found in English, though they are found in many Semitic, Caucasian, and Turkic languages, as well as several languages of Western Europe such as German, French, Portuguese, a few Celtic languages as well as some dialects of the Swedish language. Certain African languages such as the Khoisan languages use the uvula to produce click consonants as well, though other than that, uvular consonants are fairly uncommon in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Read more about this topic: Palatine Uvula
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