An Aerodynamic Study of the Articulatory Mechanism in the Production of Bilabial Stop Consonants

The fact has been generally accepted that the production of the voiceless bilabial stop consonant /p/ passes through three phases; sometimes termed implosion, hold and explosion. The initial phase is described as consisting of firm velo­ pharyngeal closure, closing of the lips and supply of air from the lungs. Building up the intraoral pressure with the tensed lips and cheeks characterize the second phase. The third phase consists of the quick release of the dammed up pressure by sudden opening of the lips resulting in a /p/ sound. The voiced bilabial plosive /b/ is formed in the same manner as /p/ except that the voiced /b/ is accompanied by a vibrating air column due to the vibration of the vocal folds.