What sound characteristics can be analyzed by observing the formant frequencies on a spectrogram?

Formant frequencies are essential in understanding vowel quality because they reflect the resonant frequencies of the vocal tract during the production of speech sounds. Vowels are characterized mainly by their specific formant patterns; the first two formants, F1 and F2, are particularly important in distinguishing between different vowel sounds.

For example, a high F1 value typically corresponds to a vowel sound that is more open and lower in the oral cavity, such as [a]. Conversely, a low F1 value indicates a more closed position, which is common in high vowels like [i]. The position of F2 provides information about the frontness or backness of the vowel; higher F2 values indicate front vowels, while lower values indicate back vowels. Analyzing formant frequencies allows us to discern these nuanced differences in vowel sounds, making it a crucial tool in speech science and phonetics for assessing and characterizing vowel quality.

The other options relate to different aspects of speech that do not primarily hinge on formant analysis. For instance, articulation errors may manifest in different ways but cannot be determined solely through formant analysis. Consonant voicing is identified through different acoustic cues, such as the presence of voicing in the waveforms rather than form