Voiceless labial–alveolar plosive

A voiceless labial–alveolar plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. It is a [t] and [p] pronounced simultaneously. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨t͡p⟩.

Voiceless labial–alveolar plosive
t͡p
t̪͡p

Features

Features of a voiceless labial–alveolar 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, the airflow is blocked entirely, and the consonant is a plosive.
• Its place of articulation is labial–alveolar, which means that it is simultaneously articulated with the front part of the tongue against the alveolar ridge and the lips.
• Its phonation is un-voiced, which means it is produced without vibrations of the vocal cords.
• It is an oral consonant, which means that air is not allowed to escape through the nose.
• It is a central consonant, which means it is produced by directing the airstream along the center 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 sounds.

Occurrence

Language	Dialect	Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Abkhaz[1][2]		[example needed]			Endolabial, unlike a [p]. In free variation with [tʰʷ]; contrasts [t͡pʷʰ], [d͡bʷ], [t͡pʷʼ]. See Abkhaz phonology.
Lak[2]	Some dialects	[example needed]			Endolabial, unlike a [p].Contrasts [t͡pʷ], [d͡bʷ], [t͡pʷʼ].
Nzema[3]		pi	[t͡piʔ]	'to become thick'	an allophone of /k͡p/ before front vowels.
Yele[4]		tpili	[t̪͡pili]	'sea' (women's term)	Contrasts voiceless labial–retroflex plosive.
		tp꞉ee	[t̪͡pɛ̃ː]	'child'