In the context of speech production, what does VOT stand for?

Voice Onset Time (VOT) is a crucial parameter in speech production that refers specifically to the timing of the onset of voicing in relation to the release of a stop consonant. It measures the duration between the release of a plosive sound, such as /p/, /t/, or /k/, and the beginning of vocal fold vibration for the following vowel sound.

This timing is significant in distinguishing between voiced and voiceless sounds in languages; for example, the difference in VOT between the sounds /b/ (voiced) and /p/ (voiceless) is what allows listeners to perceive the difference between these two phonemes.

Understanding VOT is key for speech-language pathology, linguistics, and phonetics since it aids in comprehending how speech sounds are produced and perceived, as well as identifying potential speech disorders related to voicing and timing.

The other suggested options do not accurately reflect this concept in speech science, and they do not define the critical timing aspect associated with voice onset in phonetic analysis.