Question

Which place of stop production has most of its energy in LOW frequencies (below 1000 Hz)

a) bilabial
b) alveolar
c) velar

Answer 1

Bilabial stops have most of their energy at lower frequencies, especially below 1000 Hz, compared to alveolar and velar stops, due to the larger resonating chamber formed behind the point of articulation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question relates to the acoustic properties of different places of articulation in human speech production. Places of articulation refer to the points in the vocal tract where the airflow is obstructed to produce different speech sounds, known as consonants. These sounds are categorized into stops, which involve complete obstruction of airflow, and among stops, the energy distribution across frequencies can vary.

When discussing energy in terms of frequency content, bilabial stops (such as the sound of the letter 'p' in 'pat') typically have most of their energy at lower frequencies, especially below 1000 Hz. Alveolar stops (like the sound 't' in 'tap') and velar stops (as in 'k' of 'cat') generally have more high-frequency energy. This is because the shape and volume of the oral cavity behind the constriction create a larger resonating chamber for bilabial stops, which favors lower frequencies.