We can encode this type of information with two numbers for each input: the expected size and the degree of variability of that size. In our “steep” example, [t] and [p] would both have a very short expected duration as well as a small expected variability (that is, we do not expect to hear long t’s and p’s). The [s] sound would have a short expected duration but a larger variability because it is possible to drag it out. The [E] sound has a long expected duration as well as a high degree of variability.
