English consonants

LIPS

• There are two possible places of articulation involving the lips as articulators. For bilabial place of articulation, the lips are brought together (or for non-stops, as we'll see later, close together). The first and last consonants in the word bib are bilabial stops. The symbol for this consonant is /b/, so the pronunciation of bib is written /bɪb/. A further possible position of the lips is contact between the lips and upper teeth; this is not used for English stops, though it is used for other English consonants. It is discussed below.