Question

Examine the following statements and choose the right option. Statement (I): A spectrogram shows the frequency components in a frequency over time display.
Statement (II): In a spectrogram, high vowels can be identified by a low F1, while a back vowel can be identified by a low F2.

• A. Both statement (I) and statement (II) are correct
• B. Both statement (I) and statement (II) are incorrect
• C. Statement (I) is correct but statement (II) is incorrect
• D. Statement (I) is incorrect but statement (II) is correct

Hint:

Remember vowel acoustics: - F1 inversely reflects vowel height (higher tongue → lower F1). - F2 reflects vowel frontness/backness (front tongue → higher F2, back tongue → lower F2).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding Statement (I)
A spectrogram is a visual representation of sound. It plots time on the x-axis, frequency on the y-axis, and amplitude/intensity as darkness or color shading. This means that it indeed shows frequency components over time.
\(\Rightarrow\) Statement (I) is correct. Step 2: Understanding Statement (II)
In acoustic phonetics: - \(\mathbf{F1}\) (first formant) corresponds inversely to vowel height.
- High vowels (like [i], [u]) have a low F1. - Low vowels (like [a]) have a high F1.
- \(\mathbf{F2}\) (second formant) corresponds to vowel backness.
- Front vowels (like [i], [e]) have a high F2. - Back vowels (like [u], [o]) have a low F2.
The statement says: "high vowels = low F1, back vowels = low F2," which is entirely correct.
\(\Rightarrow\) Statement (II) is correct. Step 3: Conclusion
Both statements are true, hence the correct option is (A). \[ \boxed{\text{Correct Answer: (A)}} \]