This is a question that just popped into my head, and which I thought might make an interesting forum topic. What I'm asking is, when you read someone's posts on Cemetech, without having heard their voice before hand, what voice does your mind use when you playback their posts in your head? For example, when I read something Kerm posts, I always hear a moderately high-pitched mad scientist voice like Dr. Brown in BTTF, and when I read Kllrnoj, I hear a douchebaggy voice like Ashton Kutcher. What do you guys hear when you read posts from people you've never heard? What do you hear when you read posts made by me?

I usually read much faster than I am able to vocalize - even internally. The result is that I rarely assign voices to what I read.

Instant messaging or texting is the rare exception to this, and only if I both know the person's voice well, and the messages are short enough that internal vocalization doesn't produce mental lag.

When I hear your voice Dshiz, I think of a caveman from the Geico commercial. For real

I find if I read too fast I don't retain much of what I read. If I read slower and vocalize everything internally, I understand what I'm reading much better.

@Ashbad: that's not too far off actually...

I use the voices I have heard you speak in, and if I have never heard you speak.. well... I base it off your avatar. Dshiz, you have a barbaric deep tone when I read your posts in my head

I've only met one person in my life who could read more quickly, without compromising comprehension, than I do. I clock in at over 100 pages/hour for just about anything (say, a history textbook), and I top off around 200 pages/hour (Silmarillion).

I'd say I'm just about at the same point as elfprince, except about .5-.75 times the speed. The stuff that goes on in my head seems to be about the same, though.

haha, I think it took me a total of 3 hours to finish the last Harry Potter book. 1 and a half on one day, and 1 and a half on another

When I read the posts... I just internally monotone everything I read... I'm soo boring.

I dont hear voices. I have a nearly photographic memory so I see flashes of meaning behind the words. Never hear voices.

I might be strange. That is just how it is. I also dream in color. ... lol

I read everything in my head with benryves' voice.

So do most people:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream#Color_vs._black_and_white

Most people I talk too say they dream in black and white.

Odd... Well good to know....

Hmm, that's an interesting question. I usually assign my own voice to the posts I read and messages on IRC.

Let's not get into a rooster-size contest about our reading speeds (at least in this topic); I'm sure we all read at least significantly faster than the average native English speaker. Regarding DShiznit's original question, I personally read posts faster than I could read them aloud. The exception is the posts that I write; I generally read my posts aloud to myself in my own voice as I type them out, including the post that I'm writing right now.

I read the entire 5th book of harry potter in 1.5 hours. Perfect comprehension. And I read it slow cause i needed to kill 2 hours.

Hmm, I actually assign a voice to Kerm that's rather interesting. I feel he comes across like this:



Until I remember he's just a red headed giant . Don't worry Kerm, it's a compliment, not many people go down as Bearded Wise Men in my book of tones.

I usually read things in about the same voice that I use to think of every little thing in my life. I narrate everything before I actually type it up (which means that when it comes to type things up, I usually forget what I have and have not already stated, because I've said it in my head at least 20 times by that point). Usually people just get that voice, except on the rare occasion where: I know the person's voice, and it is different enough to be able to read it in their voice, or when they have really odd/incorrect English.

I have trouble understanding how someone could understand written text without any internal narration. Maybe it's just a difference in how I think and perceive the world. One could probably write an entire thesis on the difference between how people read and absorb information...

Yeah, I find that very odd as well. It seems like that would be such a boring world if everyone didn't have some spoken voice. I also find the ways that people remember who others are very interesting, at least from a text-only (with the occasional webcam chat) medium. For instance, one of the main ways I remember who is who is based on what projects they are working on. Which, if you ever notice, is one of the main things I ask when various people say that they have "come back" to the community.

I've had this conversation with other people before, and I think it is hard to understand if you haven't experienced it. The best I can explain it, my internal thought process frequently steers towards the abstract rather than verbal.