Which pair of vowel properties is most closely linked to the first and second formants?
AF1 to lip rounding, F2 to loudness
BF1 to tongue height (inversely), F2 to tongue backness (front vowels have higher F2)
CF1 to pitch, F2 to duration
DF1 to voicing, F2 to nasality
High vowels such as /i/ and /u/ have low F1, and low vowels such as /ɑ/ have high F1. Front vowels such as /i/ have high F2, and back vowels such as /u/ have low F2. Lip rounding also lowers formants, but the height and backness links are the main ones.
Question 2 Multiple Choice
In the source-filter model of speech, what plays the role of the filter?
AThe lungs
BThe vocal folds
CThe vocal tract above the larynx
DThe listener's ear
The vocal folds produce the source, a buzz rich in harmonics. The throat, mouth, and nasal cavities shape that buzz, amplifying some frequencies (the formants) and damping others. Changing tongue and lip position changes the filter.
Question 3 True / False
A speaker can produce the vowel /a/ at a low pitch and then at a high pitch without changing which vowel listeners hear.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
Pitch depends on the fundamental frequency of vocal fold vibration, while vowel identity depends mainly on the formant pattern set by the vocal tract. The two can vary independently, which is why singers can hold one vowel across a melody.
Question 4 Short Answer
What is voice onset time (VOT), and how does it help distinguish English 'pin' from 'bin'?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: VOT is the time between the release of a stop consonant and the start of vocal fold vibration. In English 'pin,' the /p/ has a long delay with a burst of aspiration before voicing starts; in 'bin,' voicing begins at or very soon after release, so VOT is short.
VOT is one of the main acoustic cues to the voicing contrast in stops. Languages draw the voiced-voiceless boundary at different points along the VOT scale.