Uvularization

Uvularization is a secondary articulation of consonants or vowels by which the back of the tongue is constricted toward the uvula and upper pharynx during the articulation of a sound with its primary articulation elsewhere.

IPA symbols

In the International Phonetic Alphabet, uvularization can be indicated by one of two methods:

Occurrence

Uvularized consonants are often not distinguished from pharyngealized consonants, and they may be transcribed as if they were pharyngealized.

In Arabic several other Semitic and Berber languages, uvularization is the defining characteristic of the series of "emphatic" coronal consonants.