MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Ages old debate of reading vs. listening to books

stuartjmz · 10-15-2018, 11:36 PM

"there are books where I find the narration so compulsively entertaining that I listen in preference to reading. And why not? I am large, I contain multitudes."

" I have no handicap as it relates to reading. I enjoy both reading and listening to books. There is no relationship whatsoever to being able to read and whether or not one would enjoy audiobooks."

" Homonyms require more mental acuity from the listener than the reader, not having the cue of how a word was spelled. Listeners figure it out from context."

I thought I'd said everything I wanted to say on this subject, and frankly I'm astonished (and a little sad) that this thread is being kept alive. But, as someone with an almost pathological aversion to audiobooks, I want to stand up and applaud the sanity and reasonableness of comments like these.

Issy's comment (1) made me jealous. There are times when I wish I could get into audiobooks for that reason. But I don't process sensory input as well as I'd like, and so live mostly in silence - I probably only listen to a couple of hours music a week, and I've never been able to get comfortable with audiobooks. Yet. Although, I do sing "a song to myself" when mowing "leaves of grass" if that counts?

Leebase's comment (2) reminded me of the fact that it really wasn't too long ago in historical terms that (for almost everyone) ALL reading was purely aural. And active, focused aural reading is every bit as involving a skill as visual reading. Which leads me to

Alohamora's comment (3) As a (strictly amateur) lover of languages and linguistics, I know for a fact that reading a non-L1 language is easier than hearing it read. This cuts both ways too. One of my ISP passwords was once the name of the place in (now) Pakistan where my Dad went to school. Several years when I spoke with a tech support guy who needed my password, he could NOT understand my attempts to say the word, despite it being in his L1 language. As soon as I gave the English, he said "Oh, you mean ..." He would have understood if the word was in a sentence, because the context would have made it clear. He also would have understood if I had spelled it out in writing. I've had similar experiences repeatedly with Italian, too.

In fact that point abot the different cognitive challenges of aural and visual reading caused me to reflect on the fact there is ONE area in which I do like audio reading: Focused reading and study. When studying material in any language, even my L1 English, I've become reliant on listening and reading to the same material togeher. I can't do this recreationally, but it's invaluable for forcing me to concentrate on the material and getting more out of it. In English, it slows down my reading and forces me to ponder, and in Hindi and Italian, it helps me learn how to pronounce and stress words naturally.

I think now I really HAVE said everything I have to say. Except to add that I think it is truly sad that anyone feels the need to bolster their own sense of self-worth by pushing some illusory notion of superiority over others based on something as trivial as whether one reads with the ears or the eyes. As opposed to GENUINE marks of superiority, like being left-handed.

10-15-2018, 11:36 PM	#118
stuartjmz Nameless Being	"there are books where I find the narration so compulsively entertaining that I listen in preference to reading. And why not? I am large, I contain multitudes." " I have no handicap as it relates to reading. I enjoy both reading and listening to books. There is no relationship whatsoever to being able to read and whether or not one would enjoy audiobooks." " Homonyms require more mental acuity from the listener than the reader, not having the cue of how a word was spelled. Listeners figure it out from context." I thought I'd said everything I wanted to say on this subject, and frankly I'm astonished (and a little sad) that this thread is being kept alive. But, as someone with an almost pathological aversion to audiobooks, I want to stand up and applaud the sanity and reasonableness of comments like these. Issy's comment (1) made me jealous. There are times when I wish I could get into audiobooks for that reason. But I don't process sensory input as well as I'd like, and so live mostly in silence - I probably only listen to a couple of hours music a week, and I've never been able to get comfortable with audiobooks. Yet. Although, I do sing "a song to myself" when mowing "leaves of grass" if that counts? Leebase's comment (2) reminded me of the fact that it really wasn't too long ago in historical terms that (for almost everyone) ALL reading was purely aural. And active, focused aural reading is every bit as involving a skill as visual reading. Which leads me to Alohamora's comment (3) As a (strictly amateur) lover of languages and linguistics, I know for a fact that reading a non-L1 language is easier than hearing it read. This cuts both ways too. One of my ISP passwords was once the name of the place in (now) Pakistan where my Dad went to school. Several years when I spoke with a tech support guy who needed my password, he could NOT understand my attempts to say the word, despite it being in his L1 language. As soon as I gave the English, he said "Oh, you mean ..." He would have understood if the word was in a sentence, because the context would have made it clear. He also would have understood if I had spelled it out in writing. I've had similar experiences repeatedly with Italian, too. In fact that point abot the different cognitive challenges of aural and visual reading caused me to reflect on the fact there is ONE area in which I do like audio reading: Focused reading and study. When studying material in any language, even my L1 English, I've become reliant on listening and reading to the same material togeher. I can't do this recreationally, but it's invaluable for forcing me to concentrate on the material and getting more out of it. In English, it slows down my reading and forces me to ponder, and in Hindi and Italian, it helps me learn how to pronounce and stress words naturally. I think now I really HAVE said everything I have to say. Except to add that I think it is truly sad that anyone feels the need to bolster their own sense of self-worth by pushing some illusory notion of superiority over others based on something as trivial as whether one reads with the ears or the eyes. As opposed to GENUINE marks of superiority, like being left-handed. Last edited by stuartjmz; 10-15-2018 at 11:55 PM.