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-- You know that little voice you hear inside your head when you read? Like, right now?

You know that little voice you hear inside your head when you read? Like, right now?

Does it have an accent different from your own?

It's well odd, my voice speaks the broken American English I was taught in school... and, if you've ever heard me speak, I don't sound American in the slightest. For example, sometimes when I read the word "prayer" it still says "pray-ur", even though I know that's not the actual pronunciation and wouldn't ever say it like that in real life; same goes for "they're" and "their", which I know should sound the same; and many more words I had to relearn over the years.

Can anyone else relate to this?

Dude, you're weird.

Seriously though, that's something i've never considered. Thinking in different languages is enough as it is.

my mental reading voice is angelic and breathy, with a curious south-western british accent

Damn it Lira, where are the boobies?!?!

I actually turn this "reading voice" off sometimes. Figured I can read faster that way, and really there's no reason to voice a word in your head, cause when you can do that you've already understood and processed it.

I read everything in a Jeremy Irons voice. Makes everything a hell of a lot more interesting.


In all serious, it depends what I'm reading, if I know what the author sounds like, I'll read it in their voice, most of the time.. otherwise, I read in my own voice. And I can't even describe my accent, it's a melange of everything I've been taught and picked up on my own. But it's more pronounced when reading/speaking to myself, I tend to suppress it a little when talking with others.

I don't know if this answers your question, or if I understood it correctly.

Morgan Freeman while holding a dying owl.

I've been thinking about this, and the voice, such as it is, doesn't have any accent at all.

quote:

Originally posted by Meat187 Damn it Lira, where are the boobies?!?!

Soon!

quote:

Originally posted by Meat187 I actually turn this "reading voice" off sometimes. Figured I can read faster that way, and really there's no reason to voice a word in your head, cause when you can do that you've already understood and processed it.

That's the first step to dynamic reading, according to my fiancée. She gave it a try one day, but just like Woody Allen, she would read "War and Piece" in minutes and then just tell me all she understood is that "it's about Russians"

In all seriousness, I do it sometimes, but only if I'm not reading anything important.

quote:

Originally posted by Blake Dude, you're weird. Seriously though, that's something i've never considered. Thinking in different languages is enough as it is.

I had never considered it either, I just noticed it. Given the 10 year delay since I started relearning English, I'd say it took me quite a while

quote:

Originally posted by Intellekshual In all serious, it depends what I'm reading, if I know what the author sounds like, I'll read it in their voice, most of the time.. otherwise, I read in my own voice. And I can't even describe my accent, it's a melange of everything I've been taught and picked up on my own. But it's more pronounced when reading/speaking to myself, I tend to suppress it a little when talking with others. I don't know if this answers your question, or if I understood it correctly.

Yup, that's exactly it. I don't know if I switch to different voices. I know I don't do it with books... but maybe I do it when friends message me.

Hmmm....

I'm not even sure it's a full fledged "voice." It seems like the words go by too fast for me to really be sounding out each one in my head.

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J doesn't have any accent at all.

No such thing a "neutral" accent, I don't think.

My accent is the neutral one. Everyone who speaks differently from me is either a bumpkin or a suspicious foreigner.

Good news everyone,

If you don't know what I'm talking about, now you can listen to a Futurama character and experience this phenomenon first hand.

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J I've been thinking about this, and the voice, such as it is, doesn't have any accent at all.

You mean like, it doesn't have a "distinct non-native" accent? If people outside your head could hear it, wouldn't they quickly recognise it as an accent from the Midlands?

I remember "put" and "putt" rhyme for you, right? Does your inner voice speak with this extra vowel you don't use?

quote:

Originally posted by Vector A I'm not even sure it's a full fledged "voice." It seems like the words go by too fast for me to really be sounding out each one in my head.

As if you're reading too fast?

quote:

Originally posted by Vector A My accent is the neutral one. Everyone who speaks differently from me is either a bumpkin or a suspicious foreigner.

I love how everyone tends to think like that. It's even better when you travel miles and miles to some inhospitable corner of the planet where people happen to speak your language, they sound hilarious but they also claim you're the one with the accent - theirs is the default pronunciation

Come to think of it, where's Nou?

quote:

Originally posted by Lira As if you're reading too fast?

Too fast for proper enunciation, yeah.

I guess my headspeech sort of has a "standard" American accent like I do when I talk, but I think it might be hard for someone to tell, if they could hear it out loud, due to the speed. And I don't think I read especially fast.

Re: You know that little voice you hear inside your head when you read? Like, right now?

quote:

Originally posted by Lira Can anyone else relate to this?

Not even remotely.

If I'm reading text with quotes, I give individuals their own voice in my head. Facts and information are more or less thought with my own voice, and thus my own accent.

quote:

Originally posted by Lira You mean like, it doesn't have a "distinct non-native" accent? If people outside your head could hear it, wouldn't they quickly recognise it as an accent from the Midlands? I remember "put" and "putt" rhyme for you, right? Does your inner voice speak with this extra vowel you don't use?

I suppose I mean that, like Meat, I often don't voice something in my head at all unless it's a representation of a speech act (such as the Farnsworth quote). Particularly if it's txt spk or something similar.

EDIT: A good example is an extremely annoying shop I often pass, which is titled "Mr �andwich". My brain just cannot figure out how to pronounce this, when I say it out loud I have to pause, and usually resort to "Poundwich".

I find, if I've been watching several episodes of something, my inner voice takes on characteristics of people in the show. For instance, if I've watched a bunch of Stephen Colbert, my inner voice will sound like Stephen Colbert for a short while. And this happens with nearly anyone.

Watch a bunch of Trek? Inner voice will sound like Kirk or Spock (sometimes both, depending on what I'm reading).
Watch some Looney Tunes? Inner voice will sound like Bugs or Daffy (complete with spitting lisp!)
Watch some Crocodile Hunter? Croiky, I'll have an inner voice like Steve Irwin!
Internet reviewer like Plinkett, Yahtzee, or Spoony? Oh hell yes I'll be having an inner voice taking on their characteristics.

All the time though, these are short term effects, and I revert back to whatever my natural inner voice is.

I know that's not the actual pronunciation and wouldn't ever say it like that in real life; same goes for "they're" and "their", which I know should sound the same

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