Does Everyone Have Subvocalization?

Many people have subvocalization, but not everyone experiences this phenomenon.?

Research has found that subvocalization happens because of our speech organs. They mimic the movements of talking while we are reading silently. This makes us hear our own words in our heads.

Subvocalization has been theorized to improve comprehension and reinforce learning. However, it can also hinder your reading speed. But there’s an easy fix for that.

If you want to learn more about subvocalization and increase your reading speed, this article is for you.

We will tell you all about subvocalization. And we will give you tips on improving your reading speed despite subvocalization.

Let’s get started!

What is subvocalization?

Subvocalization is the phenomenon where you hear words in your head when you are reading something.

This is often called silent speech and is associated with silent reading. As you silently read the actual words, you hear the words in your head.

This inner voice is a natural process that occurs in many people. This is especially true when they are reading unfamiliar words.

Silent speech can help you imagine how the text sounds, thus creating auditory imagery. Many people claim that this makes for a more immersive reading experience. And this process is wider than the English language.

You hear all the words in your head, even if you speak or read in another language.

What causes subvocalization?

This process takes place using your speech organs. Research has shown that muscle memory is connected to inner speech.

Silent reading triggers the same muscles used in producing speech when we read aloud. Therefore, even when we don’t read aloud, the sensory input induces the same mental processing and makes us hear our words.

The muscles involved in speech articulation move during silent reading to evoke the word’s sound. This gives us the auditory reassurance that we are reading that word.

However, these movements are too small to be detected. You wouldn’t notice them even while reading this article while subvocalizing it.

NASA scientists used sensors to transcribe whatever a subject read. These sensors were attached to the throat of their subject. This allowed the scientists to record movement in the throat region during silent reading.

This shows the significant involvement of speech organs in subvocalization.

Researchers now believe that subvocalization is used to improve our reading comprehension. They believe it is similar to how muscle memory works. When we perform different tasks repeatedly, our muscles learn to do that more efficiently. Similarly, when our muscles move while reading, they learn to “read better.”

This means that the more times we encounter a certain word, the quicker our brain processes it. That’s because we are getting the auditory imagery in addition to seeing those words. Thus, hearing voices helps us retain information better.

If you want to experience subvocalization, try reading the following sentence. It’s the best example to help you understand the phenomenon.

“The Boston Public Library opened in 1852, founded the American tradition of free public libraries open to all citizens.”

While reading the sentence above, you might have noticed a small pause after “Library” and “1852”. That’s the breath units. They divide the information into different segments for the average reader who subvocalizes.?

It’s a natural process as the inner voice reads the different segments separately.

There are two different kinds of subvocalization: voluntary and involuntary subvocalization.

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