Velum -includes the soft palate and the uvula, begins where the palatine bone ends -muscular hydrostat; connected anteriorly to bone but the velum itself is only muscle and connective tissue -has 4 layers vertically; top to bottom: connective tissue/tendon, front to back muscles, side to side muscles, glandular tissue (visible through the oral cavity) -the middle is the most muscle rich and makes contact with the pharyngeal wall during contraction in a knee-like motion -no muscle fibers in the front and very few in the uvula