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P

P is the 16th letter of the Latin alphabet.

Semitic Pê (mouth) as well as Greek Π or π (Pi) and the Etruscan and Latin letters that developed from the former alphabet all symbolized /p/, a plosive, unvoiced consonant. Those who speak Arabic usually have difficulty pronouncing this sound; they pronounce like b instead.

Papa represents the letter P in the NATO phonetic alphabet.

Phonetic use

In English and most other European languages, P is a voiceless bilabial plosive ( in the IPA). A common digraph in English is "ph", which represents the voiceless labiodental fricative /f/, and is commonly used to transliterate Phi ( φ ) in loanwords from Greek. Both initial and final P can be combined with many other discrete consonants in English words. A common example of assimilation is the tendency of prefixes ending in N to become M before P (such as "in" + "pulse" -> "impulse" — see also List of Latin words with English derivatives).

In German, the digraph "pf" is common, representing a labial affricate of /p/ and /f/.

Meanings for P

See also

Last updated: 10-22-2005 19:44:46
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