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This is identical to what Catford (1982: 129) calls a “transient flap”. There are
two stages in the articulation of the sound. In the first stage, the lower lip is retracted
slowly into the mouth well behind the upper teeth. In the second stage, the lower lip is
brought forward rapidly and strikes the upper lip or upper teeth in passing.
Ladefoged (1968) notes that in Central Marghi, the flap is preceded by an
additional stage—a stop in which “the lower lip is tensed against the upper lip and teeth.”
To our knowledge, this initial stop has been attested only in Marghi, and it therefore
should not be considered a general property of the speech sound.
Concerning the place of articulation, most researchers identify the sound as
labiodental; that is to say, the lower lip makes contact with the upper teeth. Consequently,
labiodental could be considered the default or unmarked place of articulation for the
sound. However, an optional bilabial variant, in which the lower lip makes contact with
the upper lip rather than the upper teeth, has been noted in 13 languages, including ones
in Niger-Congo (Ndau, Shona, Dii, Karang, Kare, Kuo, Nzakmbay, Banda-Bambari,
Mid-Southern Banda, and Ngbaka-Minagende), Nilo-Saharan (Sar and Mangbetu), and
Afro-Asiatic (Bana). In addition, Pairault (1969) and Tingbo (1978) consider the sound to
be bilabial, rather than labiodental, in Gula Iro and Mbandja, respectively (both Niger-
Congo).
Note that our use of the terms bilabial and labiodental respects the traditional
usage, as defined by the actual place of contact on the passive articulator. This is different
from Ladefoged’s (1997: 594) terminology, where he defines “labiodental” as a labial
articulation which involves retraction of the lower lip. If one follows this definition, then
both articulations of the labial flap could be considered “labiodental”. In any case, it
should be noted that the retraction involved in the labial flap (whether labiodental or
bilabial) is more extreme than that which is found in other labiodental sounds.
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