Consonant recognition for spectrally degraded speech as a function of consonant–vowel intensity ratio

Abstract

Normal-hearing subjects' recognition of spectrally degraded speech was evaluated under conditions in which the consonant-vowel (C-V) intensity ratio was modified. Subjects identified 22 consonants presented in an /a-Consonant-a/ format at suprathreshold and near threshold conditions. Prior to C-V ratio modification, the stimuli were processed to limit spectral information. In the suprathreshold experiment, stimuli were presented at the natural C-V ratio and at six modified C-V ratios. C-V ratio manipulations had dramatic effects on recognition scores for some groups of consonants. Scores for glides and sibilant fricatives increased with increasing C-V ratio, while scores for nasals and weak fricatives were best at low C-V ratios. Recognition scores for the stops and affricates were generally independent of C-V ratio. For nearly all consonants, changes in recognition scores as a function of C-V ratio were associated with changes in a general response bias toward those sounds. Performance was poor when the spectrally smeared VCVs were presented at low SN ratios in a second experiment. The influence of C-V ratio on percent correct scores was generally similar to the suprathreshold results, but consonant audibility, which was not a factor in the suprathreshold experiment, appeared to alter the effect of C-V ratio modification for some consonants.