EFFECTS OF NOISE ON LEXICAL TONE PERCEPTION BY NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE LISTENERS

Tasha Dees1, Ann Bradlow2, Sumitrajit Dhar1 & Patrick C.M. Wong3
1Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University; 2Department of Linguistics, Northwestern University; 3Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, & Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Northwestern University

ID 1609
[full paper]

Speech in ecological environments is often accompanied by noise, which often proposes challenges to the listeners. In this study we examined differences in native Mandarin-speaking and native English-speaking adults’ ability to perceive lexical tones and vowels in different noisy listening conditions (white noise and multi-talker babble noise) at different signal-to-noise ratios. We found that although white noise impaired both listener groups’ speech perception ability, Mandarin multi-talker babble noise impaired Mandarin listeners to a greater extent. These results provide evidence for the differential effects of energetic and informational masking on native and non-native speech perception and the perceptual consequence of the reorganization of the auditory system after native language learning.