Explain the term "voice onset time" (VOT).

Voice onset time (VOT) refers specifically to the duration that occurs between the release of a consonant and the onset of vocal cord vibration for the following vowel. This measurement is critical in distinguishing between voiced and voiceless consonants. For example, in the production of sounds like /b/ (voiced) and /p/ (voiceless), VOT helps to identify their acoustic characteristics, as the VOT is shorter for voiced sounds and longer for voiceless sounds. Understanding VOT is essential in speech science, as it plays a key role in phonetics and speech perception, affecting how speech is articulated and interpreted. The focus on the timing aspect in option B emphasizes its fundamental role in the classification of speech sounds.