P & B?

Question

Hello Everyone!I’m an Arabic speaker and have a difficulty with pronouncing "P", I really can't tell the difference between the pronunciation of” P” and “B” especially if "P" is in the middle or end of any word! For me it will be “B”!!  e.g. stamp "stamb", capable "Cabable", Pepsi "Pebsi"can anyone help "helb" thank you

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Try humming with your mouth and lips closed. The sound you make comes from your voice box.

This sound is the essential difference between B and P.

Both letters involve a slightly explosive release of air, caused by a slight buildup of pressure behind the lips, followed by their rapid opening.

The difference is that with "B," the hum from the voice box precedes the explosion at the lips, and continues through it and following.

The "P" by itself has no sound from the voice box, and is really only a whisper. It gets it's tone from the letters which follow.

Consider the word "ABLE." The hum from the voice box never stops during the pronouncing of this word. You just add the lip explosion in the middle of it.

Compare this to "APPLE." First, say the word "pull," being careful not to start the voice-box hum until after the lip explosion.

Now make the short-AA sound, which includes the hum from the voice box. Keep it going for a couple of seconds, and then stop it quickly with your lips. Simultaneously, stop the hum from your voice box, but continue to maintain some air pressure behind your lips. There should be complete silence. (We are still awaiting the explosion.)

Practice this a few times, taking your time (going slowly), moving from the AA with hum to the closed lips with silence and with air pressure.

Then try doing the same thing, but after two seconds of silent lip pressure, then add the "pull" sound.

Aside from the slight difference in the vowel sound of the AA, the main difference between ABLE and APPLE is the silence of the voice box while the lips are closed.

Anonymous · Answer

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Anonymous · Answer

"p" is pronounced voicelessly, "b" on the other hand is pronounced with the voice.

To pronounce p try smacking your lips together whilst breathing out fairly hard, no voice is involved.

Anonymous · Answer

P in the end of a word is pronounced like b, like help. it would be difficult and very inconvenient to pronounce it.

Avangi · Answer

AnonymousP in the end of a word is pronounced like b, like help. it would be difficult and very inconvenient to pronounce it.

So how do we distinguish between "tripe" and "tribe"?; "rope" and "robe"?; "cup" and "cub"?

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousI really can't tell the difference between the pronunciation of” P” and “B”

So it's a hearing problem, not a speaking problem? If you can't hear the difference, you won't be able to produce the difference. Hearing comes first.

You may have to listen to a native speaker say pairs like Avangi mentioned ("cub", "cup", etc.) until you catch on to it. The "p" sounds more "cut off" at the end of a word than the "b". You might try listening for that difference.

It also might help to recognize that you do say "p" in Arabic at times even though you always write it as a "b". Maybe a speaker of Arabic who knows phonetics can point out the cases where this happens in your own language.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousP in the end of a word is pronounced like b, like help.

No. In English the "p" has a different sound from "b", even at the end of a word. The "p" nearly goes silent, it is so cut off. Not so for the "b", which, if exaggerated, almost seems to be followed by a vowel.

CJ

P & B?

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