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Uvula facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The uvula is the punchbag-shaped object on the back of a throat, in the middle of the soft palate. Massaging the uvula causes the gag reflex which makes someone vomit.

Use

The uvula functions with the back of the throat, the palate, and air coming up from the lungs to create a number variety of different sounds. Consonants involving sound from the uvula are not found in most dialects of English, though they are found in many Semitic, Caucasian, and Turkic languages, as well as several languages of Western Europe such as German, French and a few Celtic languages, where it is used to make a sound called the uvular trill.

Images for kids

  • Swollenuvula

    A child's swollen uvula with tonsils

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Uvula Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.