Complex encoding in word-final voiced and voiceless stops.

The multifunctionality of vowel and closure duration is investigated in two experiments using the word pair 'bag'-'back'. In experiment I, categorization of synthetic stimuli at three simulated rates of speech supports the notion of the vowel/vowel + closure quotient as a tempo-independent cue to the final 'voiced'-'voiceless' opposition. In experiment II, manipulated natural stimuli are tested at two rates of speech, sentence-medially and finally. In final position, the results of experiment I are confirmed though durational and nondurational properties interact. Medially, a specific context effect is found.