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Glite Dictionary
labial stop

labial stop

8.6
A speech sound made by closing the lips to block the air briefly
  • noun
  • /ˈleɪbiəl stɑp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : consonante oclusiva labial
  • A labial stop occurs in words like 'pat' and 'bat'.

Examples

  • In English, the sounds represented by the letters 'p' and 'b' are both labial stops.

  • The child found it difficult to pronounce labial stops clearly at first.

  • Linguists often study how labial stops differ across various languages.

  • The sound labial stop is produced by closing the lips.

  • In English, the sounds represented by the letters 'p' and 'b' are both labial stops.

  • Linguists often study how labial stops differ across various languages.

  • A labial stop occurs in words like 'pat' and 'bat'.

How Labial

labial stop
  • Specialized
8.6
stop
  • Specialized
4 6.0

Surface Forms

labial stop singular
labial stops plural

Morphology

labial + stop

The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'labial' means 'at the lips' and 'stop' denotes a consonant produced by complete closure, so their combination straightforwardly yields 'a consonant stop produced with the lips.' This descriptive, technical compound follows regular English formation and is readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Labial stop: The name labial stop comes from a simple picture: labial means 'lip' and a stop is when you close the lips like a small door and stop the air. That's why 'labial stops' are sounds like 'p' and 'b' made by blocking and then releasing the air with the lips.