Perception of Cantonese initial consonants in single words in noise

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of real-life noises (i.e., traffic noises and restaurant noise) and synthetic noises (i.e., speech-shaped noise and ten-talker babble) on the perception of Cantonese initial consonant with varying manner and place of articulation. Sixteen native Cantonese participants identified the 19 initial consonants under quiet condition and the four noise types with 0 dB and -6dB signal-to-noise ratios. Results showed that Cantonese consonant perception difficulty in real-life noises could be predicted from synthetic noises. Ten-talker babble had the greatest masking effect on Cantonese consonants. Among the different manner and place of articulation, nasals and the consonants with more anterior place of articulation were the most difficult to perceive in noise.