{"id":429,"date":"2010-08-06T16:58:01","date_gmt":"2010-08-06T16:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.spreeder.com\/blog\/?p=30"},"modified":"2010-08-06T16:58:01","modified_gmt":"2010-08-06T16:58:01","slug":"how-to-improve-reading-speed-by-eliminating-subvocalization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spreeder.com\/blog\/2010\/08\/06\/how-to-improve-reading-speed-by-eliminating-subvocalization\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Improve Reading Speed by Eliminating Subvocalization"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the next few posts we will take closer look at each bad reading habit, starting with subvocalization, which is by far the worst of the reading habits.<\/p>\n

Do you know what subvocalization means?<\/p>\n

Subvocalization sounds a little scary, but it really isn\u2019t.\u00a0 It\u2019s simply a term that\u2019s used to describe the habit of reading with your larynx.\u00a0 Your larynx is the structure inside your throat that holds your vocal cords.\u00a0 When I say you read with your larynx, all it really means is that you \u201csay\u201d the words as you read them.\u00a0 People who move their lips while they read are doing what\u2019s called \u201cvoicing\u201d the words as they read them.<\/p>\n

Not every reader says the words they read out loud or moves their lips while they read.\u00a0 Some are more subtle.\u00a0 These readers \u201chear\u201d the words in their heads as they read.\u00a0 What they hear is more like a whisper that moves along as their eyes continue reading.<\/p>\n

The reason people subvocalize can definitely be traced back to the days when they first learned to read.\u00a0 Chances are, when you were back in grade school or whenever you first learned to read, you were taught to read phonetically.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re taught to read phonetically, you\u2019re first taught the individual sounds associated with each letter of the alphabet.\u00a0 Then you\u2019re taught the sounds that different combinations of letters make.\u00a0 Finally you\u2019re taught to string all those sounds together into simple words, and viola, you can read!<\/p>\n

If you have young children, you\u2019re probably familiar with phonetics since it\u2019s very popular and still used in schools today.<\/p>\n

Not only does learning to read phonetically involve several steps, it also involves several body parts.<\/p>\n

Using your eyes, you first need to see a word on a page.\u00a0 Once you see it, you then have to say the sounds the letters make using your mouth.\u00a0 Your grade school teacher probably made you say these sounds out loud in front of the class.\u00a0 For a lot of kids, this was embarrassing, because there was always the risk of making a mistake.\u00a0 But your teacher made you do this so she could be sure you were making the sounds correctly.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t being mean; she was just doing her job.<\/p>\n

Anyway, as you grew older and your teacher wasn\u2019t around anymore, you probably started whispering these sounds and words in your mind instead of saying them out loud.\u00a0 Or you started moving your lips so that anyone around you couldn\u2019t hear you.\u00a0 Seeing words and saying them was necessary to the brain\u2019s ability to learn the words and develop associations with those words.<\/p>\n

Right now maybe you\u2019re wondering how such an effective teaching method could be so bad?<\/p>\n

Well, here\u2019s the answer.<\/p>\n

Subvocalization worked very well when you were a kid and it still works very well for anyone learning to read for the first time.\u00a0 Known also as auditory reassurance, the process of saying or hearing the words as you read them is a good way to reassure yourself that you\u2019re saying them correctly.<\/p>\n

However, now that you\u2019re all grown up and you have accumulated years and years of reading experience, it\u2019s no longer necessary to voice your words as you read them in order to understand them.\u00a0 That\u2019s because your brain already knows a lot of the words.\u00a0 You\u2019re older, you\u2019ve been exposed to a lot more, and you already know what many words mean just by looking at them.<\/p>\n

What I\u2019m trying to say is that instead of involving the brain, the eyes, the ears, and the mouth, your eyes and your brain are quite capable of reading and comprehending all by themselves.\u00a0 They don\u2019t need any extra help from your other body parts.\u00a0 All your ears and your mouth do now is get in the way.<\/p>\n

So why do you still do it?<\/p>\n

The reason you still say your words as you read them is because you\u2019re in the habit of doing this<\/em>.\u00a0 It\u2019s true.\u00a0 You think that the only way to really understand what you\u2019re reading is by saying the words too.\u00a0 But it\u2019s not necessary.\u00a0 You don\u2019t say \u201cgo\u201d every time you come to a green light, do you?\u00a0 You don\u2019t because you already know that green mean go.\u00a0 The same is true with a lot of things in your life.\u00a0 You\u2019ve built associations with words, and don\u2019t need to repeat them word for word in order to understand them.<\/p>\n

Like any habit, subvocalization is a hard habit to break.\u00a0 But it might be easier to break if you realize how much this one single habit slows your reading speed.\u00a0 That\u2019s what I\u2019m going to tell you next and I guarantee you\u2019ll be shocked.<\/p>\n

Are you ready?<\/p>\n

When you voice your words as you read them as you do when you subvocalize, it means that you can only read as fast as you can talk out loud.\u00a0 For most readers, that\u2019s only about 150 words per minute; a reading rate that puts you in the category of a slow reader.\u00a0 Slow readers are considered \u201ctalkers\u201d meaning that they sound words out by moving their lips or they hear internally their own voice as they read word-for-word.<\/p>\n

I know some of you out there are thinking, well I\u2019m a fast talker, so that must mean I\u2019m a fast reader.\u00a0 And to a certain extent, you\u2019re right.\u00a0 But being a slow reader means you have a reading speed of between 100 and 200 words per minute.\u00a0 So even if you\u2019re a fast talker, there\u2019s still a pretty good chance you\u2019re considered a slow reader.\u00a0 Even if you could read a little faster, between 200 and 300 words per minute, you\u2019d still only be considered an average reader.\u00a0 So there\u2019s definitely room to improve.<\/p>\n

Right now though, reading speed isn\u2019t the issue.\u00a0 The point to be made is that as long as you continue the habit of subvocalization, you will never achieve reading speeds associated with excellent readers which are 700 or more words per minute.<\/p>\n

Do you say words in your head as you read them?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re unsure whether you\u2019re guilty of the subvocalization habit, try this.\u00a0 Next time you read, pay closer attention.\u00a0 If you notice your lips moving, even just slightly, or you hear yourself saying the words you read to yourself while you read, or you voice your words as you read, you\u2019re guilty.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not the worst of it.\u00a0 If you also hear yourself pronouncing every syllable of every word as you read, you are slowing your reading rate even further!\u00a0 Believe it or not, a lot of readers actually take time to carefully pronounce the words they read rather than just mumbling them to themselves!<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s something else that\u2019s going to surprise you.<\/p>\n

A slower reading rate isn\u2019t the only problem associated with subvocalization.\u00a0 When you subvocalize, you\u2019re more likely to get bored.\u00a0 You might have thought the material you were reading was causing your boredom.\u00a0 But in fact, what\u2019s boring you could be the sound of your own voice!<\/p>\n

When you subvocalize, you\u2019re probably doing so in a monotone, expressionless manner so the sound inside your heads drones on and on and on.\u00a0 And before you know it, you\u2019re feeling tired, uninterested, and perhaps starting to daydream.<\/p>\n

What do you think about that?<\/p>\n

Again, don\u2019t worry.\u00a0 For right now, just be aware what subvocalization is and that it exists.\u00a0 Later on, I\u2019ll teach you how to break the subvocalization habit<\/p>\n

I know I may have presented subvocalization in a less than brilliant light, but there are times when this reading habit comes in handy.<\/p>\n

Here are some times when you may want to slow your reading speed and intentionally subvocalize:<\/p>\n