Bilabial (Adjective)
Meaning
Of or relating to or being a speech sound that is articulated using both lips; "bilabial fricatives".
Classification
Relational adjectives (pertainyms).
Examples
- The /p/ and /b/ sounds in the English language are examples of bilabial stops, as they are made by pressing both lips together.
- In phonetics, the term bilabial is used to describe the place of articulation of certain consonant sounds.
- The bilabial fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some languages, such as the labiodental fricative /ɸ/ in Japanese.
- The sound /m/ is classified as a bilabial nasal, as it is produced by closing both lips and allowing air to escape through the nose.
- In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the symbol /ɸ/ represents a voiceless bilabial fricative.