On cross-language consonant identification in second language noise

Speech perception in everyday conditions is highly affected by the presence of noise of a different nature. The presence of overlapping speakers is considered an especially challenging scenario, as it introduces both energetic and informational masking. The efficacy of the masking also depends on the familiarity with the language of both the target and masking stimuli.

This work analyses consonant identification by non-native English speakers in N-talker natural babble noise and babble-modulated noise, by varying the number of talkers in the babble. In particular, only English consonants that are also present in all the native languages of the subjects are used. As the subjects are familiar with the consonants used, this study can be considered a step towards a deeper analysis on perception of first language speech in the presence of second language maskers.