Perception of English consonants in noise by native and Norwegian listeners

The aim of this study was to investigate factors that affect second language speech perception. Listening tests were run in which native and non-native (Norwegian) participants identified English consonants in VCV syllables in quiet and in different noise conditions. An assimilation test investigated the mapping of English consonants onto Norwegian counterparts. Results of the identification test showed a lower non-native performance but there was no evidence that the non-native disadvantage was greater in noise than in quiet. Poorer identification was found for sounds that occur only in English (‘novel category’ consonants) but this was the case for both English and Norwegian listeners, and thus likely to be related to the acoustic-phonetic properties of consonants in that category. Information transfer analyses revealed a certain impact of phonological factors on L2 perception, as the transmission of the voicing feature was more affected for Norwegian listeners than the transmission of place or manner information. The relation between the results of the identification in noise and assimilation tasks suggests that, at least in higher proficiency L2 learners, assimilation patterns may not be predictive of listeners’ ability to hear non-native speech sounds.