Which of the following is an accurate statement about whispered speech?

Which of the following is an accurate statement about whispered speech?

• A. It is produced by approximating the arytenoid cartilages so that their medial surfaces are in direct contact.
• B. It is composed largely of aperiodic sounds.
• C. Spectrographic analysis of it reveals no discernible formants for the vowels.
• D. Most people can produce longer utterances per breath using it than they can using conventional phonation.

Answer: (B)

Whispered speech primarily involves the production of sounds that lack periodic vibrations, which is characteristic of aperiodic sounds. In whispered speech, the vocal cords do not vibrate in the same manner as they do during normal phonation. Instead, the sound is generated through turbulent airflow in the vocal tract, which creates these aperiodic sounds. This makes option B correct because it accurately identifies the nature of whispered speech. In contrast, the other options present inaccuracies about how whispered speech is produced or characterized. For instance, whispering does not require full closure of the vocal folds like in typical phonation, which negates the idea of arytenoid cartilages being in direct contact. Whispered speech also produces some quality of vowel sounds, though they may not be as clearly defined as those in voiced speech, and there are still some subtle formant structures detectable in spectrographic analysis, although not as clearly as in voiced speech. Lastly, while some individuals may find they can produce longer utterances with whispered speech, it is generally the case that conventional phonation allows for longer phrases due to breath support and control, rendering the fourth option less accurate.

Whispered speech primarily involves the production of sounds that lack periodic vibrations, which is characteristic of aperiodic sounds. In whispered speech, the vocal cords do not vibrate in the same manner as they do during normal phonation. Instead, the sound is generated through turbulent airflow in the vocal tract, which creates these aperiodic sounds. This makes option B correct because it accurately identifies the nature of whispered speech.

In contrast, the other options present inaccuracies about how whispered speech is produced or characterized. For instance, whispering does not require full closure of the vocal folds like in typical phonation, which negates the idea of arytenoid cartilages being in direct contact. Whispered speech also produces some quality of vowel sounds, though they may not be as clearly defined as those in voiced speech, and there are still some subtle formant structures detectable in spectrographic analysis, although not as clearly as in voiced speech. Lastly, while some individuals may find they can produce longer utterances with whispered speech, it is generally the case that conventional phonation allows for longer phrases due to breath support and control, rendering the fourth option less accurate.