What does a positive Voice Onset Time (VOT) indicate for a stop consonant?

• A. Voicing begins before release
• B. Voicing begins after release
• C. Voicing begins at the same time as release
• D. Voicing is not involved

Answer: (B)

Voice Onset Time measures the interval from when a stop release happens to when the vocal folds start vibrating. A positive VOT means the voicing begins after the release—the order is release first, then vocal fold vibration. This pattern shows the stop is produced without voicing during the closure and a short lag before voicing starts, which is typical for voiceless stops. In contrast, if voicing started before or at release (negative or near-zero VOT), that would be characteristic of a voiced stop. For example, English voiceless stops like the initial p often have a noticeable lag before voicing begins, producing a positive VOT, whereas voiced stops like b typically begin voicing earlier, yielding a smaller or negative VOT.