The Labial Stops (Bb, Pp, Ff)

A "stop consonant" is a consonant whose sound is formed by slowing down or abruptly stopping the flow of air through the mouth before being released with an expulsion of breath and sound.  There are nine stop consonants in NTGreek.  These nine stop consonants may be further subdivided into three classes: the palatals, the dentals, and the labials.  These classifications reflect what speech organ (throat, teeth, or lips) is predominately used when pronouncing the consonant.

Labial consonantal stops belong to the same class of consonants because they are formed by closing, nearly closing, or rounding the lips.  The lips are essential to restrict momentarily the airflow.  As a simple exercise, try to say these consonants without the use of the lips.

B, b   is a voiced guttural stop (vocal cords vibrate)
P, p  is an unvoiced guttural stop (vocal cords do no vibrate)
F, f  is an aspirate guttural stop (accompanied with a strong emission of breath)