Which of the following is a vowel symbol in the repertoire?

Which of the following is a vowel symbol in the repertoire?

• A. i
• B. β
• C. p
• D. s

Answer: (A)

The key idea is distinguishing vowel symbols from consonant symbols in a phonetic repertoire. Vowel symbols denote vocalic sounds produced with an open or relatively open vocal tract, like the symbol i, which represents a close front unrounded vowel in IPA. In this set, the symbol i is a vowel symbol, while the others represent consonants: β is a voiced bilabial fricative, p is a voiceless bilabial stop, and s is a voiceless alveolar fricative. Since those are consonants, they don’t belong to the vowel category of the repertoire. Therefore, the symbol that is a vowel is i.

The key idea is distinguishing vowel symbols from consonant symbols in a phonetic repertoire. Vowel symbols denote vocalic sounds produced with an open or relatively open vocal tract, like the symbol i, which represents a close front unrounded vowel in IPA. In this set, the symbol i is a vowel symbol, while the others represent consonants: β is a voiced bilabial fricative, p is a voiceless bilabial stop, and s is a voiceless alveolar fricative. Since those are consonants, they don’t belong to the vowel category of the repertoire. Therefore, the symbol that is a vowel is i.