Cognitive Effect of Acoustic Variations on the Perception of English Words

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of acoustic variation in spoken English (pitch, intensity, speech rate, rhythm and place of pauses) on cognitive processing in word perception and word comprehension. The research done in phonetics, psycholinguistics and cognitive science shows that there is a better understanding of speech when hearing slight and expected sound changes which make the sounds stand out from the rest and facilitate the listener's focus and language understanding. The listener will be required to exert greater mental effort as the extreme sound changes occur intermittently and disrupt comprehension of speech. Cognitive load is the highest for listeners when speech language changes are made from year to year, as this interferes with listeners' expected rhythm movements. Changes in pitch and intensity involve medium level processing, but intensity changes cause less processing unless they get very intense. These phenomena have significant cognitive effects on non-native listeners who are already cognitively challenged because of their struggles to understand speech in noisy conditions. The article presented a theoretical framework to describe the relationship between acoustic changes and cognitive processes in the perception of speech, and showed the importance of balancing acoustic changes with listeners' expectations. The study offers practical applications to promote language learning, improve speech technology and to create more effective communication strategies.