Effects of speech-shaped noise on consonant identification by native and non-native Korean and English listeners

The global proliferation of machine-human interface via voice and audio suggests a growing need for including language-specificity in the design and implementation of acoustic signal processing devices for all individuals, especially those in educational settings. Second language learners are often more susceptible to acoustic distortions in their second language (i.e., L2). Speech understanding challenges that L2 learners face in noisy environments are often compounded by other normal cross-language influences that are expected to occur during L2 speech perception. This study evaluated consonant confusion patterns using consonant-vowel (CV) English tokens spoken by native Korean and English speakers. The speech stimuli were embedded in speech-shaped noise with varying signal-to-noise ratios. Speech scores were measured using an alternative forced-choice paradigm. Overall scores were evaluated for each listener group to first assess whether L2 learners were most robust to acoustic-variances in English when spoken by Korean compared to English native-speakers. Second, their speech scores and acoustic recordings were evaluated for constructive as well as destructive effects of these acoustic variance on their masking and consonant confusion patterns. Results will be presented on the similarity and differences in acoustics and perception between English and Korean native-speakers. The clinical implications of our findings will be discussed.The global proliferation of machine-human interface via voice and audio suggests a growing need for including language-specificity in the design and implementation of acoustic signal processing devices for all individuals, especially those in educational settings. Second language learners are often more susceptible to acoustic distortions in their second language (i.e., L2). Speech understanding challenges that L2 learners face in noisy environments are often compounded by other normal cross-language influences that are expected to occur during L2 speech perception. This study evaluated consonant confusion patterns using consonant-vowel (CV) English tokens spoken by native Korean and English speakers. The speech stimuli were embedded in speech-shaped noise with varying signal-to-noise ratios. Speech scores were measured using an alternative forced-choice paradigm. Overall scores were evaluated for each listener group to first assess whether L2 learners were most robust to acoustic-variances in English whe...