Cantonese consonant perception in quiet and in noise : a comparison between healthy young adults and healthy old adults

Abstract

This paper examined Cantonese consonant perception in quiet and in noise in young and old adults. Forty native Cantonese speakers, twenty healthy young adults and twenty healthy old adults without hearing loss, identified Cantonese consonants in monosyllabic words in quiet and in four types of noises with varying amount of energetic and informational masking. The results showed that (a) the aged adults perceived Cantonese consonants poorer than the young adults both in quiet and in noise and the effect of noise was larger on the aged group than on the young group; (b) among the three phonetic features of Cantonese consonants, place of articulation was the most affected by noise for both young and aged adults, followed by manner of articulation, and aspiration; and (c) for both groups of listeners, Cantonese consonant perception was the most difficult in noises with a combination of substantial energetic and informational masking, followed by noises with solely energetic masking, and then by noises with mostly informational masking.