Primacy of B- and P-Words: An Exploratory Study and a Developmental Hypothesis

This study explored the utility of the bilabial stops [p and b] in comparison with other phonemes at the beginnings of words having a common visual reference. The initial hypothesis, based on the author's observations, was that it is easier to name common referents using words beginning with “b” rather than any other phoneme, whether vowel or consonant. This article places the hypothesis within the context of theory and research regarding phonological development. Secondly, a method is developed to explore further the generalization that common b-words have relatively high utility for visual referencing. Analysis indicates that words beginning with the bilabial stops [p and b] have the greatest utility. A developmental hypothesis is offered to help explain the findings.