Test Equivalency of the Spanish and English AzBio Sentences Among Bilingual Normal Hearers

Language influences speech perception in bilingual listeners, with non-native languages often requiring higher signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) for comprehension. Structural features, such as phonology and syllabic rhythm, make Spanish easier to perceive in noise compared to English, which relies more heavily on high-frequency cues and complex consonant clusters....

Audiologists testing bilingual patients with AzBio sentences should be cautious about assuming the Spanish and English versions are interchangeable until equivalency data are confirmed; verify normative SNR targets for each language before drawing clinical conclusions.

Establishing whether Spanish and English AzBio tests are truly equivalent is critical for fair and accurate audiological assessment of the large and growing bilingual Spanish-English population.

1. 01Study examines test equivalency of Spanish vs. English AzBio sentence tests in bilingual normal-hearing listeners.
2. 02Language choice may affect the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) needed for accurate speech comprehension.
3. 03Findings have direct implications for clinical testing fairness in bilingual patients.
4. 04Results could inform normative data development for Spanish-speaking populations.
5. 05Uses normal-hearing listeners as a baseline to isolate language effects from hearing loss effects.

PMID

42263043

DOI

10.1159/000551152.

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

4

Population

Bilingual Spanish-English normal-hearing listeners

Intervention

Spanish AzBio sentence test administration

Comparator

English AzBio sentence test