Seriously thoughtful When reading, do you subvocalize?

[l..k]

Actually very interesting pool

I learnt to read with inner voices in my head, as a child I was very ambitious and curious to start reading on my own all the wanderful stories... and I did it! In about a year I was reading children books fluently and on another years I developed high speed of my inner voice, twice as fast as I could physically speak... Nowadays I cannot read that fast, it seems that I cannot recognize the text at such speed but I am still comfortable with the speed of speach, I like to set 3x normal spead on my player when I am listening to audiobooks or podcasts it helps me better feel the story, seems like my natural perception speed

Somewhere at university time I heard once about the subject. One of my friends went to fast reading classes and he was learning thechinques to not subvocalize so that way the reading was supposed to be faster. I tried that too but could not get it anyhow - without inner voice I do not understand any word only images.

I am curious is there anyone who learnt "fast reading", as they advertise it, thechique of silent reading after initial subvocalizing habbit and uses it from that point?

[crich70]

It is interesting how many people actually do seem to do this. Sort of a companion behavior to thinking the words before typing them.

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by crich70

It is interesting how many people actually do seem to do this. Sort of a companion behavior to thinking the words before typing them.

I have never been accused of thinking before typing, or speaking for that matter

I would love to be able to type without forming the sentence in my head, it would sure speed up the process. Although it could also cause even more foot in mouth syndrome.

[poohbear_nc]

Interesting observation this weekend: I read "Mrs. Fry's Diary" -- a tongue planted firmly in cheek expose of Stephen Fry's alleged marriage. It wasn't funny unless I "heard" Fry delivering the lines as if in a monologue -- putting in the wry emphasis on words, the pause before the punch line, the rising inflection of disbelief, etc. I literally had to create the audio book version in my head to find the humor.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary defines "subvocalization" as: The act or process of inaudibly articulating speech with the speech organs. In other words, speaking without moving your vocal cords and/or lips, or speaking very quietly to oneself. I answered "no" in the poll, because that is something I never do when reading (or writing). The thing most of you seem to be describing is something I usually just call "imagination" or "visualization."

I will often visualize a persona or actor in a particular role, going through the motions and dialogue, as I might imagine they would if I was watching them in a movie. (My writing is often aided by this, putting a particular actor's character role into one of my character roles in order to let the aspects of that actor become imbued in my character.)

[sakura-panda]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

I wish whoever voted "never heard of it" would describe what reading is like for him or her.

I haven't voted, but that's what I would pick if I did/do.

Reading to me is like, ummm, *reading*.

I don't have any context to compare it with in order to describe it to you. I don't *dramatize* stories with different character voices -- and audio book dramatizations with multiple actors just irritate me. One voice actor doing different voices does not bother me, but multiple people with additional sounds and music is annoying.

I just *read*. No characterizations, no frills, no extras. I don't even think I have a narrator reading to me.

The only exception would be when authors write a specific dialect, and that just annoys/amuses me (it's a mix ) because I have to stop and sound it out and try to figure out what it's supposed to be.

I am intrigued by the idea that it is not the same for other people -- I guess I never thought about how other people read and it is interesting to see that there is such a variety!

[MartinC]

Subvocalize? You mean you don't say the words out loud?

[Billjr13]

Hummm... When reading most of the time I think I hear my voice in my mind. I do sometimes hear actors and such, especially when reading autobiographies and biographies Craig Ferguson's comes to mind right away. My wife teases me that some times when reading she can see my tongue moving inside my mouth, and I am totally unaware of it happening; and stops as soon as I think about it.

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by CazMar

I couldn't imagine "sub-vocalising" unless I was reading a play or a piece of poetry. It must slow down your reading speed a lot. The print just goes straight in to my brain! I read "chunks" of text, whole short paragraphs,at once.

Agreed! I read very quickly (though it's not a "speed-read" thing). I will read (or skim) a characters description, but I forget it immediately after. I suppose I usually *am* the lead character, and one never gets a glimpse of themself! (barring the occasional mirror)

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Interesting observation this weekend: I read "Mrs. Fry's Diary" -- a tongue planted firmly in cheek expose of Stephen Fry's alleged marriage. It wasn't funny unless I "heard" Fry delivering the lines as if in a monologue -- putting in the wry emphasis on words, the pause before the punch line, the rising inflection of disbelief, etc. I literally had to create the audio book version in my head to find the humor.

I have had THIS experience, more with Wodehouse. I have to mentally hear Hugh Laurie and Steven Fry's voices, to really enjoy Wodehouse anymore.

I didn't vote NO because there is one time when I do subvocalize --- when I am trying to get huge meaning from a text. Mostly, when I am studying scripture, and want to feel it applying to myself.

Even physics and math text books were read at a faster pace, without the vocalizing. In fact, some books hold me at arms length from them, until I get my speed going and drop the voice. Godel's Incompleteness theorems were like this. Until I stopped slowly hearing each word, and sped up to where the meanings just flowed into me ... I couldn't make sense of it.

[Shimarenda]

I'm glad to see the internal lector so well represented. I thought it was something peculiar to me and the reason I read so slowly. I'm not certain what the voice sounds like; it's probably as I imagine my own to be.

[Freeshadow]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

But I do stop and "read aloud in my head" when I enjoy a particular turn of phrase or a character comment...OR...if I have trouble understanding a sentence or just trouble focusing.

Yeah something like that. Same for visualising. Everything else would drive me crazy if I needed to read as slow as voice speed.

I'd rather say I absorb the data via text and render whole situations in my mind, so that I "know" what is currently described when I'm done.