Voiceless labial–uvular plosive

The 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⟩.^[1][2][3]

Voiceless labial–uvular plosive
q͡p
Audio sample
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Encoding
X-SAMPA	q_p

Features

The features of the 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, the airflow is blocked entirely, and the consonant 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 exclusively allowed to escape through the mouth.

• 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 solely with the intercostal muscles and abdominal muscles, as in most sounds.

Occurrence

Family	Language	Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Trans-New Guinea	Iha[4]	kpohi	[q͡pohi]	'good'
Central Sudanese	Lese[1][5]	[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]