HOW THE DISTRIBUTION BILABIAL SOUNDS IN

SYLLABIC STRUCTURE IN ENGLISH

1. Background
English is so hard to pronounce correctly is because of its 'syllable
structure'. In many languages, especially Asian languages such as Japanese and
Chinese, syllables very often go: Consonant - Vowel - Consonant Vowel. This
means that English words are often said this way.
One of parameters of consonants is place of articulation. In place of
articulation, there are: bilabial. Labiodentals, interdentals, alveolars, palatals,
velars, uvulars, and glottal. Writers try to describ how the distribution of bilabial
sounds in syllabic structure in English.
We classify consonants according to where in the vocal track the airflow
restriction occurs, called the place of articulation. Movement of the tongue and
lips creates the constriction, reshaping the oral cavity in various ways to produce
the various sound.
According to George Yule: (2006 : 30 ). Place of Articulation is Once the
air has passed through the larynx, it comes up and out through the mouth and/or
the nose. Most consonant sounds are produced by using the tongue and other
parts of the mouth to constrick, in some way, the shape of the oral cavity through
which the air is passing.
Movement of the tongue and lips creates the constriction. Reshaping the
oral cavity in various ways to produce the various sounds. One of place of
Articulation in English is bilabial. We articulate the bilabial sounds by bringing
both lips together.
The bilabials sounds are [p], [b], and [m]. such in [p] are: pie, cupping, and
cup. Such in [b] are: boy, clubbing, and cub. Also in [m] are: mine, coming, and
come. They are occurs of syllable structure. A syllable consists of an onset and
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rhyme. Rhyme, in turn, consists of the nucleus, or syllable core, and coda (william
ogredy: 2005, p. 84)
2. Discussion
Defining the syllable structure
A syllable consists of a sonorous element and its associated nonsyllabic (less
sonorous) segment. Since vowels are the most sonorous sounds, syllables usually
have a vowel nucleus at their core.
(William Ogrady: 2005, p.83-84)
English

have sonority values of the

syllables in a word. Words are

composed of one or more syllables. A syllables is a phonologycal unit composed

of one or more phonemes. Every syllable has a nucleus, which is usually vowel.
The nucleus may be preceded and/or followed by one or more phonemes called
the syllable onset and coda. Children learn that certain words rythm. In rythming
words, the nucleus and the coda of the final syllable of both words are identical.
As in the bilabial sounds:

[p] are in: pie, cupping, and cup.

[b] arein: boy, clubbing, and cub.
[m] are in: mine, coming, and come.
[w] are in: wow, fowl, and cow.

For this reason, the nucleus + coda constitute the subsyllabic unit called a
rhyme. A syllable thus has a hierarchical structure. Using IPA symbol for the
phonologycal syllable, the hierarchical structure of monosylabic.

The Definition of consonants, vowel, place of articulation, and

bilabials
Consonants are produced with some restriction or closure in the vocal
track that impedes the flow of air from the lungs.

Vowels are produced with little restriction of the airflow from the lungs out
the mouth and/or the nose. The quality of a vowel depends on the shape of the
vocal tract as the air passes through (yule: 2013, p. 206 )Vowels can stand alone,
they can produced without consonants before or after them. The parameters of
vowels are tongue height, tongue position, and lips rounding.
Place of articulation is the airstream can be modified to produce a different
sounds. Place of articulation are found at the lips, within the oral cavity, in the
pharynx, and at the glottis (William Ogrady: 2005, p. 22)
Bilabials sounds is produced when we articulate by bringing both lips
together. The bilabials sounds are [p], [b], [m], and [w].
Bilabials [p], in word [pie], [cupping], and [cup] can be shown:

Onset

Rhyme

Nucleus

Coda

Onset

Rhyme
Nucleus

C u

Coda

Onset

Rhyme

Nucleus

Coda

Bilabial [b], such in words: [clubbing], [cub], can be shown:

Onset

Rhyme

Nucleus

Coda

Onset

Rhyme
Nucleus

C l

Coda

Onset

Rhyme

Nucleus

Coda

Bilabials [m], such in words, [mine], [coming], and [gum], can be shown:

Onset

Rhyme
Nucleus

Coda

Onset

Rhyme
Nucleus

Coda

Onset

Rhyme

Nucleus

Coda

bilabials [w], such in words [wow], [fowl], and [cow], can be shown:

Onset

Rhyme
Nucleus

Coda

Onset

Rhyme

Nucleus

Coda

Onset

Rhyme
Nucleus

Coda

There are other kinds of evidence that subsyllabic structure is part of

speakers knowledge. In English rhyming verses, for instance, it is always the
rhymes of syllabels that match each other, in other word, that is rhyme.
The shape of these syllables are governed by various kids of constrain, but
certain universal tendencies are governed:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Syllable nucleous usually consists of one vowel (v).

Syllables usually begin with onsets.
Syllables often end with codas.
Onset and codas usually consist of one consonants (c).

(william ogrady: 2005, p. 85 )

Putting in languages throgout the world take shapes CV and CVC. These are
general tendencies, not absolute laws, and languages may, and often do, violate
them. In the bilabials sounds the syllables structures can be shown:

[p] are in: pie, cupping, and cup.

P-i-e
C-V-C
C-u-p-p-i-n-g
C-V-C-C-V-C-C
C-u-p

C-V-C
[b] are in: boy, clubbing, and cub.
B-o-y
C-V-C
C-l-u-b-b-i-n-g
C-C-V-C-C-V-C-C
C-u-b
C-V-C
[m] are in: mine, coming, and come.
M-i-n-e
C-V-C-C
C-o-m-i-n-g
C-V-C-V-C-C
C-o-m-e
C-V-C-V
[w] are in: wow, fowl, and cow.
W-o-w
C-V-C
F-o-w-l
C-V-C-C
C-o-w
C-V-C

Conclutions:

English is so hard to pronounce correctly is because of its 'syllable

structure'. In many languages.

Movement of the tongue and lips creates the constriction.
Every syllable has a nucleus, which is usually vowel.
The nucleus may be preceded and/or followed by one or more

phonemes called the syllable onset and coda.

Syllable nucleous usually consists of one vowel (v).
Syllables usually begin with onsets.
Syllables often end with codas.
Onset and codas usually consist of one consonants (c).

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