I am trying to write a fictional story, and I have a character who is mute. The character can hear and understand the speech of others, but can’t speak. I am not sure whether this muteness will stem from psychological or physiological reasons. But I can’t seem to find any site or resource that can tell me about what it is like being mute.
For example, can a mute scream or grunt, even if thay can’t talk? I’m assuming that being mute would not affect the ability to make other noises with the mouth, such as clicking the tongue or whistling. Is this correct? In general, how do mutes communicate with nonmutes?
Also, if you know of a source that could provide me with information on what is it like for family members of mutes, that would be helpful.