| Voiceless labial–uvular plosive | |
|---|---|
| q͡p | |
| Audio sample | |
| Encoding | |
| X-SAMPA | q_p |
A voiceless labial–uvular plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. It is a [q] and [p] pronounced simultaneously. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨q͡p⟩.123
Features
The features of a voiceless labial–uvular plosive are:
- Its manner of articulation is occlusive, which means it is produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract. Since the consonant is also oral, with no nasal outlet, it is a plosive.
- Its place of articulation is labial–uvular, which means that it is simultaneously articulated with the tongue against the uvula and the lips.
- Its phonation is voiceless, which means it is produced without vibrations of the vocal cords. In some languages the vocal cords are actively separated, so it is always voiceless; in others the cords are lax, so that it may take on the voicing of adjacent sounds.
- It is an oral consonant, which means that air is not allowed to escape through the nose.
- It is a median consonant, which means it is produced by directing the airstream down the midline of the tongue, rather than to the sides.
- Its airstream mechanism is pulmonic, which means it is articulated by pushing air only with the intercostal muscles and abdominal muscles, as in most speech sounds.
Occurrence
| Family | Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trans-New Guinea | Iha4 | [q͡pawɔ́da] | translation not given | ||
| Central Sudanese | Lese15 | [uq͡pa] | 'tree' | Allophone of /q͡ɓ/. In the source itself, the meaning of /q͡ɓ/ is unclear, but /q͡ɓ/ seems to be a voiceless labial–uvular stop with significant lowering and a strong release. Contrasts /k͡p, q͡ɓ, ɡ͡b, ɠ͡ɓ/.2 | |
References
References
- Demolin, Didier; Teston, Bernard (September 1997). "Phonetic characteristics of double articulations in some Mangbutu-Efe languages" (PDF). International Speech Communication Association: 803–806.
- Güldemann, Tom (2018-09-10). The Languages and Linguistics of Africa. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-11-042175-0.
- Vorbichler, Anton (1965). Die Phonologie und Morphologie des Balese (Ituri-Urwald, Kongo) (in German). J.J. Augustin.
- Al-Gariri, Husam Saeed Salem Al-Gariri (2022). Prenasalized Stops in Iha: an acoustic analysis of allophonic variation (PDF). University of Amsterdam. p. 9. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- Vorbichler 1965.