I hear my inner voice when I read, and I think in the same voice too. I'm not sure how similar it sounds to my actual voice. I don't change it for different characters or anything like that (I've actually always had a hard time doing voice changes when I read aloud). My inner voice does get louder if a character yells or gets angry, but that's about it for variation. I also get visualizations along with the words when I read. I've tried, but I can't stop doing either one as they both seem automatic, and I doubt I would comprehend at all if I didn't do both of those things.
Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Age: 39 Gender: Male Posts: 1,172
02 Oct 2013, 10:33 pm
I hear a voice when I read something. It's hard to explain what it "sounds" like. It doesn't really sound like anyone in particular (it doesn't even sound like my own voice).
On the other hand. When I'm reading a quote or a line from a movie and I know what the person sounds like, I always hear it in their voice and their speaking style.
I just realized something interesting while reading the previous posts in this thread.
When I read a book, I can picture the scene such as buildings, cars and objects very clearly in my head. The actual characters, however, are like human shaped voids. They're just "blank". It's really hard do picture the features of the character beyond short, tall and what kind of clothes they're wearing.
_________________ Standing on the fringes of life... offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. ---- Stephen Chbosky ASD Diagnosis on 7-17-14 My Tumblr: http://jetbuilder.tumblr.com/
No, I don't have an inner voice that says what I read. I'm Deaf and until I learned to sign I thought only in pictures or silent movie style inner-visualisations. After learning to sign, I see a mixture of images and video as before with the addition of seeing specific signs (mostly for abstract concepts that I otherwise have less clear visual representations for).
Mentally seeing signs is akin to mentally hearing words but as it is visual it compliments my existing means of thought very well.
Edit to add: I read very quickly. For example, yesterday I went to the library on my lunch break and read two books cover to cover. I also realised I 'see' more actual language when imagining explaining part of what I'm reading to someone else, or trying to mentally summarise as I go.
Last edited by ChameleonKeys on 02 Oct 2013, 11:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I visulize what I read and hear the voices correct to the person speaking or if its the narrater or a genaric piece of literature its usually a verson of mine, I also have cought myself meny times mouthing out the words I read. I read slowly.
Joined: 28 Sep 2012 Age: 27 Gender: Male Posts: 448
03 Oct 2013, 8:54 am
Don't quote me on this.
Nearly everyone hears a voice. People who can speed read fastest are those who have learned to not hear a voice and thus able to comprehend text faster.
_________________ Do I have HFA? Nope, I've never seen a psychiatrist in my life. I'm just here to talk to you crazies. ; - )
Joined: 9 Aug 2012 Gender: Female Posts: 374 Location: England
03 Oct 2013, 3:28 pm
I hear a voice. It is quiet, mumbling and low-pitched, struggling to speak amongst the various earworms and colourful pictures blaring in my head.
_________________ I'm sailing across Spectrum Sea, in my little boat. The waters of the port were choppy. After I set off, there was a long, massive storm. Years later, however, the sea calmed. I'm still on tranquil sea, but I'll never reach the Neurotypical Beach.
Joined: 13 Mar 2012 Age: 36 Gender: Non-binary Posts: 797 Location: Wales
03 Oct 2013, 8:50 pm
Not sure if reading silently is the same thing. I do have an inner voice when I read, but that's about it. I don't think in pictures either, but I don't have inner thoughts about what I've read... I'm professionally approved self diagnosed Dyslexic...
_________________ "When you begin to realize your own existence and break out of the social norm, then others know you have completely lost your mind." -PerfectlyDarkTails
AS 168/200, NT: 20/ 200, AQ=45 EQ=15, SQ=78, IQ=135
No, not really. I come up with more voices when I'm writing than reading. I speed read a little bit, too, not reading every word, just skimming through. That probably has something to do with it, I probably would have a voice if I actually concentrated on all the words!
_________________ Maldaptive daydreamer, I don't like the name of it though. I'm open to talking to others about my dreamworld, and hearing about theirs.
Joined: 22 Feb 2012 Age: 30 Gender: Female Posts: 1,243
01 Sep 2014, 4:31 pm
The voice I hear when I read is the same one that narrates my thoughts. It's my inner dialogue. It can change if I start to enter the hypnagogic state.
Normally, like when I'm reading, thinking or writing this post, it is like it's expected to be (by the majority of the population). It's not the same as hearing an external sound. It's not a hallucination. Also it's the same voice the whole way through.
I've been paying attention to the ways in which my inner dialogue changes as I zone out and enter a hypnagogic/dissociative state due to me being sleepy.
As I zone out my inner dialogue changes but I also become less and less aware of it. It becomes harder to focus on it or anything else for that matter so I don't always remember everything that I say in my head/inner dialogue.
One thing can happen is that as I zone out my inner dialogue starts going on it's own without me directing it. I'm not in control of my inner dialogue anymore. I might not even notice this until I wake up a bit and I remember it happening.
Another thing that can happen is that my inner dialogue can be said in a different voice than normal. A little while ago while I was starting to fall asleep on the bus it sounded like my inner voice was that of a stereotypically sounding black man. Normally there is no accent but in the hynagogic state there can be an accent that isn't mine.
On one rare occasion I got so deep into the hypnagogic state that my inner dialogue became indistinguishable from external dialogue. It sounded just like me talking out loud even though I was only subvocalizing. I also wasn't consciously directing it. I was so zoned out that I couldn't pay conscious attention to it but when I woke up a bit I heard the last few words before I fully returned to the waking state. I remembered afterwards that my inner dialogue which sounded just like outer dialogue was also in the voice of a man and a woman alternating. It wasn't in the usual tone of voice that I consider my own.
So maybe the inner dialogue that most people have changes as their mental state changes. It does for me and since hypnagogia is a normal sleep phenomenon I expect it does for most people.
Joined: 23 Aug 2014 Age: 34 Gender: Female Posts: 23
02 Sep 2014, 4:40 am
I hear a voice. I'm also dyslexic (diagnosed aged 7 and again when I started uni at 19) I actually have an above average reading speed. I have thought in the past that I could probably read faster if I didn't have that internal voice, as I can only mentally speak so fast. Also, when I have moments of struggling with reading, I know what I know what the words say but my mental voice can't seem to say it right (haha that makes no sense, true though :p ). I also clearly visualise what I read, that doesn't cause any problems though.