Do you audiate when you read?

[Plaid Dad]

I'm curious about this. I never realized that many people don't hear the words they're reading in their head. I always do, although I'm quite a fast reader. What about you? (Poll to follow.)

 

Here's the article that got me thinking about this question. Thanks for your input!

[Mom2legomaniacs]

That's a big word, sir! :lol: I do to some extent. I don't, however, read every single word (confession time). I need to sit and read that whole article later when my head is less clogged, but interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[Chris in VA]

Sometimes, when I'm reading something really difficult, I can "hear" myself say the words. It slows me down quite a bit. When I'm really into a story, I don't skip around, but I form a picture, and the words don't "sound" like anything. Does that make sense?

 

Now, when I write, I do audi--whatever.

[swellmomma]

I am a fast reader, and read silently and even skip over words, phrases at times, but still audiate. When reading each character has it's own "voice" etc. The interesting thing the article pointed out was the read alouds. When I attended school the teachers always read aloud, even through high school. Whether it wa excerpts from text, a shakesperean play or simply the book we were studying at the time we were read to right through school. That's actually how I passed most of my tests, I can recall the story, lecture etc and hear the reader telling it to me, the same thing happens when I read a book, I hear the writer telling me something directly, as if it was a face to face talk kwim.

[KIN]

Boy, I never hear the words when I'm reading a book. When I read the boards or emails, yes, but never with a story! I'm a fast reader.

[Mama Lynx]

I am a fast reader, and I *always* hear the words in my head. Interesting article!

[elegantlion]

I had an interesting discussion about this a few months ago. The only time I hear the words is when I have to read aloud dialect, otherwise I see the story being played out like a movie. Even when I read aloud to my son, I still do this.

 

I didn't realize until a few months ago that some people actually heard the words. My dh only hears the words, my ds "see's" the book.

 

I read "Huckleberry Finn" earlier this year and stopping to figure out the dialouge really slowed me down.

[Lisa in SC]

Like many who have already posted, I'm a fast reader. I always audiate, but I 'see' the story, too. I knew that some don't 'see' the story, but I didn't know that some don't 'hear' it. Interesting thread.

 

Lisa

[j.griff]

Like many who have already posted, I'm a fast reader. I always audiate, but I 'see' the story, too. I knew that some don't 'see' the story, but I didn't know that some don't 'hear' it. Interesting thread.

 

Lisa

 

That's me, I hear it AND see it, and I am a fast reader. :)

[Jenny in Atl]

It depends on the author or what I am reading. If an author has a certain cadence, or his characters are from a certain region, I will hear accents. Even sounds described in a scene.

[nancypants]

That's a great little article. Thanks for posting it. :)

[RoughCollie]

I don't see the stories I read, ever.

 

I audiate (there's a new word for me) when I read nonfiction because I read for understanding and think about what I read. But I don't audiate when I'm reading fiction.

 

I am a very fast reader and I don't know how I do it since I don't visualize the story or "think" the words. That must be called something, but what, I have no idea. Maybe I audiate at a high speed and don't realize it.

 

I sometimes try to visualize the story, but it never works for long and I go back to reading, black hole style.

 

Now that I've read the article, I'll probably audiate like crazy because I'll be watching for it.

[Mommy22alyns]

Audiate - there's my vocab word for the day!

 

I'll have to go back and read the article, but I definitely audiate. That's why I have a hard time reading and progressing in books with long, complicated, made-up place and person names. I even encounter some difficulty when those things are abbreviated to just a single initial. Something I just have to work through, I guess.

[Kay in Cal]

I'm also a fast reader... and I usually audiate. Certainly if I'm reading fiction for pleasure I hear all the voices in the book.

 

I picked "sometimes" because if I'm skimming an article or book for particular content, I don't audiate. I realized that as I skimmed the article you posted! I do indeed sometimes read whole sections at once, so I don't "hear" the words.

 

But fiction, poetry, or even a well-turned essay--those I want to "hear"!

[LizzyBee]

I am an auditory learner, I hear what I read, and I read very fast. My middle dd is a visual reader and she reads soooo slow. My dh is a lot like my middle dd, except he's probably more kinesthetic than visual, but definitely more visual than auditory. He explained to me that the reason dd reads so slow is because she has to convert the words to a movie, and she probably sometimes deviates from the script of the book. That was an enlightening moment. When I asked dd, she said she does see a movie when she reads, but she doesn't add things that aren't in the book. It doesn't surprise me that dh does, though. :001_smile:

[elbac]

I never actually thought about this before, but I do audiate when I'm reading, and also see the story. Even if I skim quickly, I just hear what I'm skimming more quickly in my head.

 

I'm a fast reader, and annoyingly (to myself, and I'm sure others) quite often a fast talker. Not "New Yorker" fast, lol, but more of a brain-going-so-quickly-mouth-tries-to-keep-up type of fast, which I *try* to regulate, but still don't always realize that I'm doing it.

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I think I do much of the time.

 

I also dislike off-color language in books more than in movies. In movies I hear someone else say the word(s). When I'm reading *I* essentially say the words. It isn't something I can skip, because I say the words (in my head) as I see them.

 

Interesting subject!

[LisaNY]

Awsome article, Plaid Dad! Thank you so much for sharing it! I am convinced now moreso than ever to keep reading aloud to my dd. I am currently reading David Copperfield (accents included) to my dd., and was wondering if this was a good use of our time, or not. Thank you again! :001_smile:

 

I used to do this all of the time with the whole family. I am sad to say that we stopped doing that years ago.

 

Wow! I *do* hear the words in my head! Drat! I though *everybody* did that. :001_huh: I "see" the story, too, and I am a fairly fast reader.

[Donna T.]

Yes, all the time. I had no idea that everyone doesn't. I don't "see" what I'm reading however. My husband does. He sees everything and thus finds reading a chore. He says it is very difficult because images just flood his mind and he simply can't turn it off. The things he reads during the day (even mundane material from work) keeps him awake at night because he can't get his mind to shut the images off. He finds it frustrating. He actually thought he had some kind of mental disorder until I explained it to him. He was really happy to hear he wasn't crazy and wanted to know why I hadn't explained it to him years ago. Come to find out, he is a very strong visual learner and must see anything before he can process it through his mind.

[Karen in CO]

But it depends on what / why I am reading. When I am reading a good fiction book, I see, hear, feel, sense the story and setting but I don't hear the words. For example, when I read Dickens, London is typically gray or sepia toned and wet and cold. The streets smell, and the houses are smoky in the winter. In a Anne Rice vampire novel, New Orleans is vibrant, hot humid. I can smell the swamps and feel the steamy heat. However, when I read Paradise Lost earlier this year, I had to slow down my reading and audiate because the language was beautiful, but not familiar. If I am reading for information, I also audiate. At least I think I do.

[LisaNY]

I don't know if this is a valuable addition to this conversation or not, but, I am finding that my years of reading aloud have made me much more comfortable with reading in public. I can also zero in on and snatch pieces of written material quite easily when making a presentation. (Thankfully, I don't have to do that too often, since I'm quite shy where public speaking is concerned)

[Meliss]

I am a fast reader and I audiate, although I wasn't aware that I do all the time until I thought about it for this poll. Now it is driving me crazy!:bigear:

 

Once when I read a book about the Scottish Covenanters, Sean Connery's voice narrated in my head.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Like Jenn, I see and hear it also though I'm a very fast reader.

 

A friend of mine thought it was some sort of gift and wondered if I could have any output for that sort of thing, but I don't. I don't have an artistic bone in my body in any way. Stinks.

[Kathleen in VA]

Absolutely outstanding article. I am now convinced to begin poetry memorization and be more diligent about reading aloud.

 

Oh, and yes, I audiate. I've tried "speed reading" after reading several articles about it, but I get all mixed up and must hear each and every word to make sense out of something I'm reading.

 

Thanks for sharing!

[Pamela H in Texas]

I read the article and COMPLETELY agree after having taught my children all these years. This article solidified some things I've been thinking the last couple years. I believe it's absolutely true :)

 

Kathleen....I'm less sure about the speed reading. I could only successfully learn to speed read to about 1200wpm (meaning with comprehension. I can go a little faster and get less comp). However, my daughter is like me and fully "experiences" everything she reads (sees, feels, hears, etc) and yet she can read over 10K wpm with full comprehension (learned at 11-ish). So somehow, for her at least, neither, speed reading or experience, is compromised. But she's a very odd child so that might explain that :)

[LizzyBee]

I'm a fast reader, and annoyingly (to myself, and I'm sure others) quite often a fast talker.

 

When I moved from Maryland to the Florida panhandle, people used to tell me all the time to talk slower. :001_smile:

[Jackie in AR]

I had never considered this, but, yes, I do hear the words when I read. And I am a fast reader.

 

Good article, BTW.

[Unicorn.]

This is me too. I audiate, and see the story. Also a very fast reader.

[amyable]

I'm a fast reader and audiate all the time - well, let me rephrase that. If my mind ends up wandering, I can be thinking of one thing and reading at the same time, but then I realize I have no idea what I just read. So if I stop audiating, I lose the story. I also "see" the story in my head.

 

Funny thing is, if I am reading aloud, I can't seem to listen to myself at the same time and have horrible recall of the story.

[dragons in the flower bed]

Yup, I do.

 

And when I'm listening, I see words, like a little ticker tape. I can't understand a word if I can't figure out how it's spelled.

[Karenciavo]

I'm a fast reader and audiate all the time - well, let me rephrase that. If my mind ends up wandering, I can be thinking of one thing and reading at the same time, but then I realize I have no idea what I just read. So if I stop audiating, I loose the story. I also "see" the story in my head.

 

Funny thing is, if I am reading aloud, I can't seem to listen to myself at the same time and have horrible recall of the story.

 

 

Same here.

[chiguirre]

I always audiate, even cereal boxes! I'm a slow reader, something I didn't know until I took a quiz at Slate.com a few years ago. OTOH, once I read something I've got it so my slowness never hampered me on standardized tests or even in school. I have to stop reading to visualize what's going on.

[Rebecca in VA]

I agree about seeing words going by like a ticker tape when I hear someone speaking! If I can't "see" the words, I can't understand what is being said.

 

My 11-year-old daughter (the one whose learning style is a mystery to me) never audiates when she reads, and never sees words in her head when she hears a voice. I wish I could teach her to do this.

[Pamela H in Texas]

http://www.slate.com/id/74766/

 

Here is the link that discusses speed reading.

 

Honestly, I don't know why anyone would necessarily WANT to speed read "pleasure" books if it's the first time you're reading the book. I wouldn't want to read over 500 wpm for THAT (and I don't read 500 wpm, even, for pleasure reading anyway). But if I'm going to quote a part of Little House on the Prairie or Sherlock Holmes for my blog or on the board or something, I do want to be able to go MUCH faster for THAT. That, and for other information type things, is where my daughter has a distinct advantage. Of course, she also has other advantages over what I do in terms of reading, blogging, posting, and the like. So I deal and say, "Kimberly, where is that scripture that says...." a WHOLE lot.

[EKS]

No, are you supposed to?

[neesek]

I heard Andrew Pudewa speak on this very topic at the Cincinnati Convention. It was an outstanding presentation. It gave me a newfound resolve to keep reading out loud to my children and to do better at incorporating memorization.

[mcconnellboys]

I'm not exactly sure. I *think* I sorta hear the words in my head, at least sometimes, but I'm just not exactly sure....

[LizzyBee]

No, are you supposed to?

 

No, but many people do. Gross oversimplification here, but auditory learners hear the words when they read, while visual learners see images or a movie when they read.

[jail warden]

I fit into this too! I read quickly and hear it and see it too!

[Pamela H in Texas]

Gross oversimplification here, but auditory learners hear the words when they read, while visual learners see images or a movie when they read.

 

My daughter and I must be all kinds of learners wrapped into two beings as we really do hear the words but also experience the sounds, visions, tastes, smells, even feelings. Sometimes it's more strongly than others, but it's amazing.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I am a fast reader, and read silently and even skip over words, phrases at times, but still audiate.

 

I suppose I must be an auditory reader. I was paid to take notes in college. I am very good at reading aloud. I love to read Shakespeare aloud - I've got dibs on the "fool"!

[Stacy in NJ]

I do for sure. I don't know it I'd say I was a fast reader, but I do read alot.

 

I enjoyed the article you linked. Although I largely agree with his point about teaching writing and memorization, I actually don't think he's all that great of a writer himself. I think his primary points could have been expressed in a more straighforward way. He really seems to need complex sentence structure and alot of qualifiers. I do think interesting vocabulary and sentence structure add to the interest of writing, but Pudewa seems to over articulate. His writing doesn't really "flow" to my ear. After having said that, we'll be using IEW next year. :-)

[Caroline]

Funny thing is, if I am reading aloud, I can't seem to listen to myself at the same time and have horrible recall of the story.

 

Me, too. I try to keep a couple of days ahead of the kids in the read aloud books so I can enjoy them, too.

[LizzyBee]

My daughter and I must be all kinds of learners wrapped into two beings as we really do hear the words but also experience the sounds, visions, tastes, smells, even feelings. Sometimes it's more strongly than others, but it's amazing.

 

That sounds really cool! and maybe scary if you're reading a suspense novel!

 

When I talk to other homeschoolers about learning styles, I always try to point out that no-one fits neatly in a box. We each use all of the learning modalities to some extent, but some people have very strong preferences toward one particular modality.

[clwcain]

I am a fast reader, and read silently and even skip over words, phrases at times, but still audiate. When reading each character has it's own "voice" etc.

 

That describes my experience perfectly. :D

[Old Dominion Heather]

I never hear the words unless I am reading dialect or (interestingly) poetry. With a story, never. And I HATE reading aloud. It feels SO SO SLOW!!! I have a very hard time paying attention when others read aloud and I can't do books on tape at all. I lose my train of thought.

[LibraryLover]

*This* is the most profound part of the article for me:

 

--One of the biggest mistakes we make as parents and teachers is to stop reading out loud to our children when they reach the age of reading faster independently. In doing so, not only do we deprive them of the opportunity to hear these all-important reliably correct, and sophisticated language patterns, we lose the chance to read to them above their level, stretching and expanding their vocabulary, interests, and understanding. We begin to lose the chance to discuss words and their nuance, idioms, cultural expressions, and historical connotations. And they lose something far more valuable than even the linguistic enrichment that oral reading provides; they lose the opportunity to develop attentiveness, the chance to experience the dramatic feeling that a good reader can inject, and even the habit of asking questions about what they’ve heard. Tragically, because of our hectic, entertainment-saturated, individualistic, test-obsessed, and overscheduled lives, few of us take sufficient time to read out loud to our students, even into their early teens—a sensitive period when understanding of language and understanding of life are woven together and sealed into the intellect. --

 

I feel sad when I hear people say the don't read to their older/reading children.

 

As for the question. I am a very fast reader, and yes, I hear the words in my head. Always.

[~Tara~]

I'm not a speed reader by any means but I do read quickly and yes, I hear the words in my head. I thought everybody did :p

[LisaCA]

A great article. Thank you so much. This reinforced my decision to change the way my 10graded will do literature next year. I was reluctant to change yet thought a new approach would work better and this article let me know I'm on the right track.

Thanks again!

[Pensguys]

I usually only hear the words when it is said in an accent. For instance if I know someone has a British accent then I hear the words that way. I met on the phone a mom from WTM. I heard her REALLY Southern accent (which is worse than mine) and now when I read her emails, I hear the words REEALLY Southern.