Why does aspirated stop consonants' voice onset time (VOT) increase in high altitude environments with reduced air density?

💡 Explanation

Aspirated stops exhibit longer VOT at high altitudes because reduced air density lowers the resistance to airflow during the period after the release of the consonant and before vocal fold vibration. Because the airflow is less impeded, aspiration duration increases; therefore, a longer VOT results, rather than changes in subglottal pressure or laryngeal control alone.

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