Perceiving Foreign-Accented Speech with Decreased Spectral Resolution in Single- and Multiple-Talker Conditions

To determine the effect of reduced spectral resolution on the intelligibility of foreign-accented speech, vocoder-processed sentences from native and Mandarin-accented English talkers were presented to listeners in single- and multiple-talker conditions. Reduced spectral resolution had little effect on native speech but lowered performance for foreign-accented speech, with a further decrease in multiple- talker conditions. Following the initial exposure, foreign-accented speech with reduced spectral resolution was less intelligible than unprocessed speech in both single- and multiple-talker conditions. Intelligibility improved with extended exposure, but only for single- talker conditions. Results indicate a perceptual impairment when perceiving foreign-accented speech with reduced spectral resolution.