Perception of Czech in noise: onset and coda in monosylabic words

The research is focused on the perception of Czech samples in noise. It has been reported earlier that the number of syllables in a word and the quality of a syllable nucleus represented the most stable features in noisy conditions. In this contribution the influence of the structural and articulatory qualities of consonantal parts of syllables on the perception of words is examined. The analysis focuses on the monosyllabic words which enable reliable determination of onset and coda. The data obtained at two highest noise levels were used (10 tested items, evaluated by 300 listeners) and the attention was also paid to the influence of the noise level differences to the resistance of the parameters analyzed. In the analyzed set some tendencies are traced. The open vs. closed dichotomy is recognized with a high probability, especially significant for coda. The determination of the number of consonants in both positions is less successful. As to the analyses of phonemes, the correct identification of onset or coda as a whole is very low. On the contrary, the identification of individual consonants regardless of the whole cluster recognition and regardless of the order of consonants within the cluster is noticeably better and associated with some articulatory qualities relevant for the Czech phonological system. The consonants with tone characteristics (sonorants and voiced obstruents) were recognized with the greatest success. Slightly better results were obtained for consonants in the onset than in the coda. In the future it would be useful to examine polysyllabic words, relevant acoustic parameters and relation to the frequency of consonantal clusters in Czech.