What characteristic of wideband spectrograms makes them sensitive to timing changes?

The characteristic of wideband spectrograms that makes them sensitive to timing changes is the representation of each gap, which corresponds to the opening and closing of the vocal folds during phonation. This feature allows for a clear visualization of the rapid changes in the speech signal, which are critical for understanding phonetic nuances and speech dynamics.

Wideband spectrograms utilize a filter that has a wide bandwidth, capturing a broad frequency range; this resolution provides detailed timing information. Each vertical line in the spectrogram is indicative of a glottal pulse, allowing observers to perceive how the timing of these pulses relates to vocal fold behavior and overall voice quality. This is particularly useful in analyzing voice onset time, coarticulation, and various phonetic events that rely heavily on timing.

Other characteristics may enhance the overall understanding of the speech signal but do not specifically address the aspect of timing changes as directly as the representation of vocal fold activity does. For example, the representation of fundamental frequency provides insights into pitch variations, while the separation of harmonics focuses on the clarity of voice timbre, but neither captures the dynamic timing aspects of phonation as effectively as the gaps indicating vocal fold opening and closing.