P

P, p [Called ‘pee’]. The 16th LETTER of the Roman ALPHABET as used for English. It originated in the Phoenician symbol pe, which was adopted by the Greeks as pi (Π), an earlier form of which the Romans adopted as P.

Sound values

In English, the letter p is normally pronounced as a voiceless bilabial plosive, as in pip. Phonetic variations in English include a less aspirated value after initial s, as in spot, and an unreleased plosive before other consonants, as in slipped (as opposed to the gently released p in slipper). In final position, spoken /p/ may or may not be released: slip, snap.

Double P

(1) Final p is normally single (tap, step, tip, stop, cup, kidnap, worship), the form steppe probably reflecting FRENCH or GERMAN spelling, as the original RUSSIAN has only single p. Monosyllables double the final p after a single short vowel before a suffix beginning with a vowel (stopping, stopper, stopped). Few polysyllables end in p; if they do, the p is generally not doubled before suffixes: galloped, gossiping, syrupy. However, BrE treats kidnap, worship as though based on monosyllables (kidnapped, worshipping), though AmE often follows the polysyllabic pattern (kidnapped, worshiping). (2) The doubling of medial p after stressed simple short vowels is inconsistent, as in the pairs apple/chapel, pepper/leper, copper/proper. In coppice there is doubling, whereas related copse has a single p. (3) When p is preceded by some Latin prefixes, it is doubled because of the assimilation of a consonant, as in apparent (ad-parent), oppose (ob-pose), suppress (sub-press).

Epenthetic P

(1) The nasal equivalent of p is m. The phonetic closeness of the sounds represented by these letters has prompted an epenthetic p after m in empty (earlier emti), and in the variants sempstress/seamstress, Thompson/Thomson, and Hampstead/Hamstead (part of London and part of Birmingham, respectively). (2) Phonetically, there may be the same epenthetic p-quality in dreamt (‘drempt’) as in empty. (3) The p in related forms such as redeem/redemption, consume/consumption has been carried over from Latin etyma. See EPENTHESIS, ETYMON.

PH

(1) The DIGRAPH ph with the value /f/ originated as the Latin transcription of Greek phi (Φ), which originally had the value of a heavily aspirated /p/ (comparable to the sound in uphold). Ph pronounced /f/ occurs almost only in roots of GREEK origin (pharmacy, philosophy, photograph), but has been adopted by analogy in occasional words of non-Greek derivation, such as nephew (compare French neveu, German Neffe), BrE sulphur (compare LATIN and AmE sulfur). The ph in the name Stephen is pronounced /v/ and is alternatively v as in Steven. (2) Ph before th is often pronounced /p/, for example ‘diptheria’ for diphtheria, ‘dipthong’ for diphthong, ‘opthalmic’ for opthalmic, and this leads to spellings without h. See F.

Silent P

(1) Initially, in words of Greek derivation before n (pneumonia), s (psalm), t (pterodactyl), producing combinations that, if pronounced, would be alien to English phonology. Middle English sometimes omitted p in salme, salter, but in Modern English it is seen in psalm, psalter, pseudo-, psittacosis, psoriasis, psyche, Ptolemy, ptomaine, etc. Of GAELIC origin, ptarmigan probably acquired its p by analogy with Greek derivations. (2) Occasionally, as when preceding a syllable beginning with its voiced equivalent b, the sound of p is assimilated, so effectively becoming silent, as in cupboard (‘cubberd’), raspberry (‘razb(e)ry’). (3) The p of receipt is an etymologically motivated insertion and was formerly often also inserted in conceit and deceit, but Samuel JOHNSON kept it only in receipt on grounds of common usage. (4) Silent p occurs in sapphire, whose first p was introduced to MIDDLE ENGLISH safir on etymological grounds. It also occurs in such French loans as corps and coup. (5) Whether p is pronounced after m in, for example, empty, exempt, tempt, prompt, consumption (as well as in dreamt) is unclear; at all events, the preceding bilabial m prepares the lips for p and is released as for /p/ with the following consonant.