Question

If a fricative constriction is articulated far back in the mouth, the spectrum of that fricative is likely to show peaks relatively _____ in frequency, but if a fricative is articulated forward in the mouth, the spectral peaks are likely to be relatively _______.

a) low; high
b) flat; peaked
c) high; low
d) the same as the following vowel
e) there are no spectral peaks for fricatives

Answer 1

When a fricative sound is made with a constriction at the back of the mouth, it results in a lower frequency peak, while a constriction towards the front produces a higher frequency peak, paralleling the acoustics of woofers and tweeters.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a fricative constriction is articulated far back in the mouth, the spectrum of that fricative is likely to show peaks relatively low in frequency, but if a fricative is articulated forward in the mouth, the spectral peaks are likely to be relatively high. This is because, as per the principles of acoustics, sounds produced further back in the mouth tend to have a longer wavelength resulting in a lower frequency, as seen with low-frequency sounds emitted by a large speaker, called a woofer.

Conversely, sounds generated with a constriction closer to the front of the mouth produce a shorter wavelength, which corresponds to a higher frequency, similar to the emissions from a smaller speaker, known as a tweeter.