Low-energy meson-meson scattering data are a powerful testing ground for quark models. Here, we describe the behaviour at threshold of S-wave scattering-matrix singularities. The majority of the full scattering-matrix mesonic poles stem from an underlying confinement spectrum. However, the light scalar mesons K{sub}0{sup}*(830), a{sub}0(980), f{sub}0(400-1200), and f{sub}0(980) do not, but instead originate in 3P0-barrier semi-bound states. We show that the behaviour of the corresponding poles is identical at threshold. In passing, the light-meson sector is given a firm basis.
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