Thread: Seriousness When reading, do you subvocalize?
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Old 04-06-2011, 05:45 AM   #1
Cyberman tM
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When reading, do you subvocalize?

There is no further point to to this poll than satisfy my curiosity - I always assumed that almost everyone would subvocalize during reading, as it's so natural to me that I would have to concentrate on not doing it.

Perhaps I should attempt to add an explanation for those who never heard that word before.
It seems there is no clear definition, at least what I consider subvocalization isn't explicitely mentioned on the wikipedia page - unless I actually move throat muscles without realizing it?

Anyway, subvocalizing means that you create a "voice" inside your head which speaks the words you read - changing pitch and inflection and such.
Which, to me, makes text infinitely more enjoyable, especially stories of course.
(And also means I'm very vulnerable to typos that change the sound of a word.)

The opposite is to just "know" the meaning. Perhaps a good reference can be the study of a foreign language - at first you likely had to translate each word and sentence before you understood it - after a while you merely hear the word and instantly know the meaning even though if asked you might not be able to translate it.

Personally, I am able to read without subvocalizing - I often do when I skim a page - but I think it helps remembering what I read.

[edit]Just to clarify - the last poll option, while certainly an attempt at humor, is actually meant to be a serious option.
To someone who NEVER even heard of this and is used to just "know" the words, this certainly must seem very weird.
When I asked a colleague about it, he certainly thought it was weird.

Last edited by Cyberman tM; 04-06-2011 at 05:52 AM.
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