bilabials
Both-lips speech sounds
Bilabials are speech sounds made by bringing both lips together.
The term comes from linguistics, where it describes consonants like p, b, and m—sounds impossible to produce without closing the lips.
The word combines Latin roots meaning "two lips." Most people encounter the term only in language classes or speech therapy.
Mouth's outer edges
- closureSense of emotional resolution
- plosiveConsonant with blocked release
- nasalOf the nose
- stopCease all motion
voiced · voiceless · aspiration · rounded · spread · compressed · manner · airstream
Consonant with blocked release
implosive · geminate · fricative · glide · semivowel · aspirated · unreleased
Minimal distinctive sound unit
- allophoneNon-distinctive sound variation
- IPASound notation system
- transcriptionWritten version of speech
- distinctive featureIdentifying quality or trait
anterior · coda · assimilation · dissimilation · neutralization · free variation · underlying form
Incoherent or infantile speech
- mamaInformal word for mother
- papaInformal term for father
- babaRum-soaked yeast cake
- first wordsInfant's earliest speech
language acquisition · universal · cross-linguistic · speech development · reduplicated · variegated · unmarked · frequency
lips
Mouth's outer edges
stop · voiced · voiceless · aspiration · rounded · spread · compressed · manner · airstream · oral
plosive
Consonant with blocked release
voiceless · implosive · geminate · fricative · glide · semivowel · aspirated · unreleased
phoneme
Minimal distinctive sound unit
- allophoneNon-distinctive sound variation
- IPASound notation system
- transcriptionWritten version of speech
distinctive feature · anterior · coda · assimilation · dissimilation · neutralization · free variation · underlying form
babbling
Incoherent or infantile speech
first words · language acquisition · universal · cross-linguistic · speech development · reduplicated · variegated · unmarked · frequency · inventory