The temporal envelope 1728 may be sufficient for speech comprehension, therefore including sufficient information for transcutaneous speech transmission using the cutaneous actuators 1722. For example, comprehension suffers when the temporal envelope 1728 is degraded but not when the fine structure is. Words in speech may therefore be identified according to the temporal envelope 1728. When the speech signals 1706 are decomposed into frequency bands and the temporal patterns in each band are replaced by noise that is altered by the temporal envelope of each band, the speech remains comprehensible.