Temporal control in the voicing contrast: Evidence from surgery-related apraxia of speech

The goal of this study was to investigate the phonetic realisation of the voicing feature in two tumour resection-related Spanish speakers with apraxia of speech. Temporal parameters related to the phonological contrast of voicing in Spanish have been analysed for intervocalic voiced and voiceless obstruents embedded in isolated words and nonwords, and compared with data collected from healthy speakers. Results indicate that in devoiced productions, where VOT values fitted the 'voiceless stops' category, vowel duration values matched those of voiced stops and suggested the preservation of contextual voicing cues. An attempt at preserving a consonant/vowel duration ratio consistent with aerodynamic predictions for voicing contrast has been observed in apraxic correct production as well as in devoicing errors, but not in the control group, which could be interpreted as a compensatory mechanism.