# Why does reading incude hearing my inner voice.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-reading-incude-hearing-my-inner-voice/768422>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 13, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-reading-incude-hearing-my-inner-voice/768422 "2016-10-13T14:37:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-reading-incude-hearing-my-inner-voice/768422/21 "2016-10-14T14:20:54Z")

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> [@panache45](#):
>
> I can consciously stop doing this. It increases my reading speed, but significantly decreases comprehension. I need to hear the words in my mind in order to retain their meaning.

+1. In fact, I often have to go back, turn on my inner voice and reread a passage.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-reading-incude-hearing-my-inner-voice/768422/22 "2016-10-14T14:20:55Z")

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> [@newme](#):
>
> I don’t hear any voice in my head when reading normally. How long does it take those of you who hear a voice in their head to read post #7 the way you normally read?

About 6 seconds to read post #7.

I hear my inner voice when I read it, but it’s running faster than I could possibly speak (and yet not in any way comically sped-up, clipped or frantic - it’s really hard to describe - it’s not exactly the same as hearing a voice, at least not in every sense)

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-reading-incude-hearing-my-inner-voice/768422/23 "2016-10-14T14:38:51Z")

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> [@Colibri](#):
>
> James Earl Jones would be good.

“This is **Co-Li-Bri.** ”

ETA: Especially when you’re modding.

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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-reading-incude-hearing-my-inner-voice/768422/24 "2016-10-14T15:01:04Z")

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> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> About 6 seconds to read post #7.
> 
> I hear my inner voice when I read it, but it’s running faster than I could possibly speak (and yet not in any way comically sped-up, clipped or frantic - it’s really hard to describe - it’s not exactly the same as hearing a voice, at least not in every sense)

My inner voice runs much faster than I could speak. But when I do apply another voice to dialogue it does slow down. But that inner voice is there just for dialogue and narration, everything else is going to fast to put a voice to it. Even narration often is not far from simple descriptive language in the style of some writers.

As this thread is making me aware of what happens when I read I realize I don’t get any kind of voice for some characters, not sure why.

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