# 3.2.2 `p/b`

`p/b` 的发声动作一样，都是先把嘴唇闭合，而后用气流冲开嘴唇。`p` 没有声带振动，而 `b` 有声带振动。

The pronunciation of `p` and `b` share the same mechanism, where the lips first close, then air pressure forces them apart. The difference lies in the vibration of the vocal cords: `p` doesn't involve vocal cord vibration, while `b` does.

这两个辅音都会自然带有很轻微的 `ʊ` 的音色 —— 是气流冲开嘴唇自然产生的声音。

Both consonants naturally have a slight `ʊ` sound, which is a byproduct of the air bursting past lips.

中国学生在起初的时候常常分不清 *please* 和 *police* —— 可事实上，这两个词的区别很明显：

Chinese students often struggle to distinguish between *please* and *police* at first when learning English. But they are distinctly different:

* *please* 只有一个音节：`/pliːz/`，而 *police* 有两个音节： `/pəˈlis/`；
* *please* consists of a single syllable: `/pliːz/`, while *police* has two syllables: `/pəˈliːs/`.
* 前者末尾的辅音是 `z`，后者末尾的辅音是 `s`；
* The final consonant in *please* is a `z` sound, whereas in *police*, it's an `s` sound.
* 最关键的，前者开头最多听起来是 `pʊ`，而后者不一样，是 `p` 和另外一个元音构成的音节： `pə`……
* Most importantly, the initial sound in *please* might be heard as `pʊ`, but in *police*, it's different. It's a syllable composed of `p` and another vowel: `pə`...