Production and perception of final consonant voicing in speech during simultaneous communication

Simultaneous communication combines both spoken and manual modes to produce each word of an utterance. This study investigated the potential influence of alterations in the temporal structure of speech produced during simultaneous communication on the perception of final consonant voicing. Experienced signers recorded words that differed only in the voicing characteristic of the final consonant under two conditions: (a) speech alone and (b) simultaneous communication. The words were digitally edited to remove the final consonant and played to 20 listeners who, in a forced-choice paradigm, circled the word they thought they heard. Results indicated that accurate perception of final consonant voicing was not impaired by changes in the temporal structure of speech that accompany simultaneous communication.