Question

Which of the following option/s show/s increasing order of sonority, from left to right?

• A. voiced stops, nasals, high vowels, low vowels
• B. voiceless stops, voiced fricatives, voiced stops, high vowels
• C. low vowels, nasals, voiced fricatives, voiceless stops
• D. voiceless stops, voiced stops, voiced laterals, low vowels

Hint:

The sonority hierarchy is important in phonology for understanding sound patterns in languages. It usually goes from voiceless stops (least sonorous) to vowels (most sonorous).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A, D

Step 1: Understanding Sonority Hierarchy.
Sonority refers to the loudness of a sound relative to other sounds. The sonority hierarchy, from least to most sonorous, is generally: voiceless stops, voiced stops, nasals, voiced fricatives, and vowels. Vowels are typically the most sonorous sounds, with low vowels being more sonorous than high vowels.

Step 2: Evaluating the options.
(A) voiced stops, nasals, high vowels, low vowels: This option correctly follows the increasing order of sonority from least sonorous (voiced stops) to most sonorous (low vowels).
(B) voiceless stops, voiced fricatives, voiced stops, high vowels: This option does not follow the expected order because voiced stops are more sonorous than voiced fricatives, and high vowels are more sonorous than both.
(C) low vowels, nasals, voiced fricatives, voiceless stops: This option places low vowels first, which are the most sonorous, so it does not correctly follow the increasing order.
(D) voiceless stops, voiced stops, voiced laterals, low vowels: This option shows a correct increasing order, starting with voiceless stops (least sonorous) and moving to low vowels (most sonorous).

Step 3: Conclusion.
Options (A) and (D) are correct as they show the increasing order of sonority.