Jim guides you through the basics of what the Soft Palate (or Velum) is:
The Soft Palate/Velum is the back part of the roof of the mouth and serves as the gateway between the mouth space and the nasal space.
It needs to be open for nasal consonants, but other consonants need it to be lifted and closed, making them "oral" consonants. The big issue can be nasalizing vowels that can potentially be completely oral.
