There are two types of reading: the first type is a compulsive speaking aloud of words as they are read. This may be at an inaudible and sub-conscious level, but is nevertheless expressing perceived words in equivalent movements of the tongue and larynx - a kinaesthetic representation. We will call this process 'subvocalisation' on this course. The second type we will call 'thought-stream', and this is consists of understanding and imagery only, with no vocal or subvocal expression.
Generally speaking, subvocalisation is unnecessary to the adult reader, except perhaps when reading poetry (in which case rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration are an important component, and so subvocalisation may be more enjoyable when poetry is read silently). However, subvocalisation limits the maximum reading speed to about 300 w.p.m. +/- 20%. In contrast, a trained reader may read at more than 1000 w.p.m. with a pure thought-stream.
A thought-stream is essential for full understanding. Although it may be possible to read light material such as a novel without using a thought-stream at all, memory will be impaired. The thought-stream is particularly important when reading abstract material that cannot be easily visualised, and when long and complicated sentence constructions are used. When this type of material is read and the thought-stream is suppressed, it is nearly impossible to preserve word order and syntax. When the material is difficult to visualise, syntax and word order may be the only guides to meaning and understanding.
Before a student can learn to let go of subvocalisation without at the same time suppressing inner speech altogether, he has to learn to differentiate between subvocalisation and the thought-stream. This first step can be done by a process of localisation. Most people will experience subvocalisation as being connected with the mouth or the throat, and also the breath. When asked to attend to it fully, a person will tend to look down.
The thought-stream will be experienced more in the top of the head, without connection to the vocal organs or breath; it is a kind of thought awareness, based on an understanding of the stream of words being read. Differentiation between the two types of reading may be achieved through the following steps: Step 1. Choose a page from a light novel. Easily understood material is required because even when a good reader is reading something that he finds difficult to comprehend, there will be a tendency to revert to subvocalisation, when a phrase or sentence containing unfamiliar or foreign words is presented. Unfamiliar words can only be held in mind either by having extremely good powers of auditory visualisation or by rehearsing them subvocally.
Note: a reader using thought-stream, rather than subvocalisation, will find he is able to detect misunderstood words more easily, because he will revert to subvocalisation as he strives to give meaning to the unfamiliar. If you find yourself suddenly subvocalising when you would otherwise use thought-stream, this is a strong indication that you have just gone past a word that is misunderstood, or a group of words forming a concept that does not make sense. Misunderstood words should each be defined and then the concept reevaluated.
Step 2 . Count out loud from one to ten repeatedly, whilst reading the page silently using thought-stream. Counting out loud will occupy the motor-vocal system, so that the mind is unable to subvocalise.
Step 3 . When you are able to read silently whilst counting out loud, then begin to read silently using thought-stream and to count silently at the same time using sub-vocalisation.
An alternative method to counting is to say or subvocalise a repeated "Eee ... eee ... eee ..." which has the same effect of occupying the vocal-motor system. Get plenty of practice with Steps 2 & 3, so that this skill is fully acquired and you can easily recognize the difference between 'spoken' subvocalisation and the thought-stream.
Step 4 . Once you can read silently whilst counting silently, begin to increase your reading speed. When your reading speed exceeds 360 w.p.m., the two types of subjective reading will become more differentiated. (Test). By using thought-stream you can read much faster, whereas subvocalisation is limited by the speed of motoric response.
Step 5 . Now that you can easily read with thought-stream, leaving behind any subvocalisation, it is time to add more character to the inner speech, so that it is not just a silent stream of thought but is also a stream of visualisation. Image the dialogue of the novel, adopting different voices in your inner speech to suit the characters. This should further differentiate your thought-stream from subvocalisation, which would always tend to be a reflection of your own voice. At the same time, visualise the scenarios of the story, hear the environmental sounds, smell all the various scents, and feel the emotions portrayed.
Continue with the above exercises until you have a reality about the two types of reading (subvocalised and thought-stream) and can choose between them. This approach is better than trying to suppress subvocalisation altogether.
By suppressing both types of subjective reading, one can learn to skim at more than 2000 w.p.m., however, there will be very little retention of what has been read. This type of reading is valuable only when one is searching for a particular datum, or when one is doing this as a perceptual exercise.
Since the left hemisphere is better at verbal tasks, whatever lies in the right visual field will have its verbal content processed more quickly than that which lies in the left. If a person is reading from left to right, the material that has not been read, but which is nevertheless being processed peripherally, is being received by the left side of the brain, more specialised at verbal processing. Reading right to left, or looking back over what has been read, will therefore be processed by the right hemisphere, resulting in confusion.
The following diagram illustrates the visual processing of a line of text. When reading left to right, the material yet to be read is taken in with peripheral vision and analysed for content by the linguistic left hemisphere. This helps the brain decide the best next point of fixation and increases the efficiency of
Book-worms are nearly always using the right hand visual field (connected to the left hemisphere), and dyslexics use the left visual field (connected to the right hemisphere). Both these extreme cases tend to have maladaptive scanning patterns, because they are nearly always using one side of the nervous system exclusively. Maladaptive patterns will include back-skipping, missing lines, and reading the same line twice. Practicing the speed reading techniques as presented in this course should help to correct these patterns.