Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Relative contributions of acoustic temporal fine structure and envelope cues for lexical tone perception in noise
Beier Qi1, Yitao Mao2, Jiaxing Liu1
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Previous studies have shown that lexical tone perception in quiet relies on the acoustic temporal fine structure (TFS) but not on the envelope (E) cues. The contributions of TFS to speech recognition in noise are under debate. In the present study, Mandarin tone tokens were mixed with speech-shaped noise (SSN) or two-talker babble (TTB) at five signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs; -18 to +6 dB). The TFS and E were then extracted from each of the 30 bands using Hilbert transform. Twenty-five combinations of TFS and E from the sound mixtures of the same tone tokens at various SNRs were created. Twenty normal-hearing, native-Mandarin-speaking listeners participated in the tone-recognition test. Results showed that tone-recognition performance improved as the SNRs in either TFS or E increased. The masking effects on tone perception for the TTB were weaker than those for the SSN. For both types of masker, the perceptual weights of TFS and E in tone perception in noise was nearly equivalent, with E playing a slightly greater role than TFS. Thus, the relative contributions of TFS and E cues to lexical tone perception in noise or in competing-talker maskers differ from those in quiet and those to speech perception of non-tonal languages.
More Related Videos
09:09Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody
Published on: September 27, 2024
05:38Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology
Published on: June 29, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Perception of Sound Waves
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same...
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by...
Hearing
Auditory Perception
The Cochlea
Non-Verbal Cues