Influence of Gender and Environmental Setting on Voice Onset Time

Abstract

The influence of gender and environmental setting on voice onset time (VOT) was examined. Participants produced six stop consonants paired with three vowels in a consonant + vowel (CV) context. Recordings were made when participants were seated inside a sound booth (laboratory setting) and outside a sound booth (non-laboratory setting). Results of the analysis for VOT and CV duration indicated that females produced voiceless stops with significantly longer VOT durations than males in both settings. Both gender groups produced CV tokens with significantly longer duration in the laboratory setting; however, females continued to produce CV tokens with longer duration in the non-laboratory setting. Findings suggest that differences in the vocal anatomy between genders may account for some but not all differences in temporal measures of speech production. Sociophonetic factors, such as speaking style, may also contribute to gender differences in speaking behavior.