Editing Linguolabial consonant (section)

==Linguolabials as a diachronic stage in sound shifts==
In Vanuatu, some of the [[Santo–Malekula languages]] have shifted historically from bilabial to [[alveolar consonant]]s via an intermediate linguolabial stage, which remains in other Santo and Malekula languages. 

While labials have become linguolabial before nonrounded vowels in various languages (e.g. [[Tangoa language|Tangoa]], [[Araki language|Araki]], [[Nese language|Nese]]), the sound shift went further in languages such as [[Tolomako language|Tolomako]], which shifted the linguolabials to full alveolar consonants: *b > *[p] > ''p̈''  {{IPA|[t̼]}} > ''t'' [t]; *m > ''m̈'' {{IPA|[n̼]}} > ''n'' [n]. Thus, [[Proto-Oceanic language|POc]] *bebe {{gloss|butterfly}} > {{IPA|[t̼et̼e]}} (spelled {{lang|tgp|p̈ep̈e}} in Tangoa or in Araki<ref>A. François, ''An online Araki-English-French dictionary''. Electronic publication: [https://marama.huma-num.fr/Lex/Araki/p%CC%88.htm#%E2%93%94p%CC%88ep%CC%88e entry ''p̈ep̈e'']</ref>) later became {{IPA|[tete]}} in Tolomako. Likewise, POc *tama {{gloss|father}} > {{IPA|[tan̼a]}} (cf. Tangoa {{lang|tgp|tam̈a}}, Araki {{lang|akr|ram̈a}}<ref>A. François, ''An online Araki-English-French dictionary''. Electronic publication: [https://marama.huma-num.fr/Lex/Araki/r%CC%84.htm#%E2%93%94r%CC%84am%CC%88a~ entry ''r̄am̈a'']</ref>) > Tolomako {{IPA|[tana]}}.