Phonological status, not voice onset time, determines the acoustic realization of onset f0 as a secondary voicing cue in Spanish and English

The covariation of onset f0 with voice onset time (VOT) was examined across and within phonological voicing categories in two languages, English and Spanish. The results showed a significant co-dependency between onset f0 and VOT across phonological voicing categories but not within categories, in both languages. Thus, English short lag and long lag VOT stops, which contrast phonologically, were found to differ significantly in onset f0. Similarly, Spanish short lag and lead VOT tokens are phonologically contrastive and also differed significantly in terms of onset f0. In contrast, English short lag and lead VOT stops, which are sub-phonemic variants of the same phonological category, did not differ in terms of onset f0. These results highlight the importance of phonological factor in determining the pattern of covariation between VOT and onset f0.