labial Definition
- 1relating to the lips or to sounds made by the lips
- 2a consonant sound that is produced using one or both lips
Using labial: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "labial" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
The labial sounds in English are /p/, /b/, /m/, /w/.
Example
In phonetics, labialization is the rounding of the lips during the articulation of a vowel or consonant.
labial Synonyms and Antonyms
Phrases with labial
a type of consonant sound that is produced by narrowing the air passage between two articulators, such as the lips
Example
The /f/ and /v/ sounds in English are labial fricatives.
a type of consonant sound that is produced by completely blocking the airflow with the lips and then releasing it suddenly
Example
The /p/ and /b/ sounds in English are labial plosives.
a type of sound change in which a non-labial sound becomes labial due to the influence of a neighboring labial sound
Example
In some dialects of English, the /t/ sound in 'next door' becomes a labial sound due to the influence of the /p/ sound in 'up'.
Origins of labial
from Latin 'labium', meaning 'lip'
Summary: labial in Brief
The term 'labial' [ˈleɪ.bi.əl] refers to sounds made by the lips or consonants produced using one or both lips. It is used to describe labial fricatives and labial plosives, which are types of consonant sounds. 'Labial' also extends into phrases like 'labial assimilation,' which describes a type of sound change.
