The Effect of Speech Perception in Noise on Arabic and Spanish Bilingual Listeners


 
 The purpose of this study was to compare speech perception performance in noise, as measured by signal-to-noise ratio for 50% correct scores (SNR-50) and SNR loss, between monolingual English speakers and two bilingual second-language learner populations with normal hearing sensitivity: Arabic–English and Spanish–English bilinguals. Additionally, this study observed how speech perception in noise varied as a function of language dominance for the Arabic–English bilinguals.
 
 
 
 
 This study was a quasi-experimental, nonrandomized study. Adults with normal peripheral hearing sensitivity participated in this study: Group 1 (
 n
 = 16) bilingual Arabic–English speakers who learned English as a second language; Group 2 (
 n
 = 10) bilingual Spanish–English speakers from a previous study; Group 3 (
 n
 = 27) monolingual English speakers combined from this study and the study of Mendel and Widner (2016). Speech perception was assessed using standardized methods for the Quick Speech-in-Noise (QuickSIN), the Bamford–Kowal–Bench Speech-in-Noise, the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT), and the Words-in-Noise tests.
 
 
 
 
 The two bilingual groups had significantly higher SNR-50 scores and greater SNR loss as compared to their monolingual peers. SNR-50 negatively correlated with language dominance for the QuickSIN and HINT for the Arabic–English speakers.
 
 
 
 Despite having normal hearing and being proficient in the English language, bilingual Arabic–English and Spanish–English speakers exhibited a mild SNR loss. Speech perception abilities were affected by test difficulty as well as the individual's degree of language dominance.
