A study on the perception of English onset consonants by Cantonese, Mandarin and English native speakers

Zesong Zhan; Shu Lin; Hongyan Wang; Cheng Peng; Xuanjing Tang

doi:10.1117/12.3014531

8 December 2023 A study on the perception of English onset consonants by Cantonese, Mandarin and English native speakers

Zesong Zhan, Shu Lin, Hongyan Wang, Cheng Peng, Xuanjing Tang

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12943, International Workshop on Signal Processing and Machine Learning (WSPML 2023); 129430H (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3014531
Event: International Workshop on Signal Processing and Machine Learning (WSPML 2023), 2023, Hangzhou, ZJ, China

Abstract

AI speech technology has the capability to generate language with diverse accents; however, notable disparities exist between synthesized sound and human speech. This study makes comparisons on the perception of six English onset consonants /n/ /l/ /v/ /r/ /f/ /m/ by Cantonese speakers of English, Mandarin speakers of English and native English speakers. The results indicate that Cantonese speakers, as compared to Mandarin speakers, exhibit a lower accuracy in perceiving the target sounds. Additionally, the listeners display better perception of /l/ compared to /v/ when the vowel is /u/, and better perception of /r/ compared to /f/ when the vowel is /o/. Similarly, for the vowel /e/, the listeners demonstrate a higher correctness rate for /m/ compared to /v/. Comparable patterns are observed among Mandarin and native English speakers. These findings offer valuable data for future investigations concerning speech identification and error correction models, particularly for Cantonese-speaking English learners. As the strategic significance of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) grows, research involving Cantonese native speakers becomes increasingly crucial. These discoveries can provide insights and recommendations for English language teaching tailored to Cantonese native speakers. Moreover, the experimental data can serve as pertinent resources for discerning and distinguishing between human and AI speech, contributing to the advancement and enhancement of AI in the future.

(2023) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Zesong Zhan, Shu Lin, Hongyan Wang, Cheng Peng, and Xuanjing Tang "A study on the perception of English onset consonants by Cantonese, Mandarin and English native speakers", Proc. SPIE 12943, International Workshop on Signal Processing and Machine Learning (WSPML 2023), 129430H (8 December 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3014531

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KEYWORDS

Artificial intelligence

Tongue

Machine learning

Perceptual learning

Speech recognition

Data modeling

Material fatigue

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