One of the basic goals is the elimination of subvocalization, claimed to be the thing that slows readers down the most. Subvocalization is the imagined pronunciation of every word we read. I do this a lot, and it limits my reading speed to virtually the same as my talking speed. Subvocalization is even accompanied by minute movements of the tongue and throat muscles. Nearly every speed reading class promises the elimination of subvocalization.
Here’s the problem with that. You can’t read without subvocalization. Carver and Rayner have both found that even the fastest readers all subvocalize. Even skimmers subvocalize key words. This is detectable, even among speed readers who think they don’t do it, by the placement of electromagnetic sensors on the throat which pick up the faint nerve impulses sent to the muscles. Our brains just don’t seem to be able to completely divorce reading from speaking. NASA has even built systems to pick up these impulses, using them to browse the web or potentially even control a spacecraft. Chuck Jorgensen, who ran a team at NASA in 2004 developing this system, said:
“Biological signals arise when reading or speaking to oneself with or without actual lip or facial movement. A person using the subvocal system thinks of phrases and talks to himself so quietly, it cannot be heard, but the tongue and vocal chords do receive speech signals from the brain.”
Let me know what you think, especially about subvocalizing during memorization. It would be interesting to wire up some memory athletes to see if they unconsciously subvocalize.
I’ve always struggled with speed reading. When I try to eliminate subvocalization, I tend to forget much more of what I read. That being said, I think it highly depends on the information you’re reading. I only use speed reading for unimportant information that I don’t have to remember for a long time, whereas I do the exact opposite for important information (I consciously subvocalize in my mind in a normal “speaking-speed”).
I can’t really tell if I subvocalize during memorization (like of Memory League etc.), I don’t do it consciously, though. But that information doesn’t have to stick very long, so it’s completely different from memorizing for long term, where I always read it slowly, turn the key words into pictures, instantly review and then move on (a couple of times, then review everything again and move on again etc.).
@Josh an extremely important post. You have saved people a lot of misery. I too spent a long time trying to eliminate sub-vocalization.
I fully agree with the statement you bolded - sub-vocalization is essential for learning. I have found for some types of non-fiction I can skip over sub-vocalizing articles and pronouns and such. For fiction, it is better to slow down, hear everything, and try to even visualize the scene (which helps with memory techniques).
I know memory champion Nelson Dellis sub-vocalizes EVERYTHING when practicing or reviewing memory palaces.
The research shows that there is a trade-off between speed and accuracy. It is unlikely that readers will be able to double or triple their reading speeds (e.g., from around 250 to 500–750 words per minute) while still being able to understand the text as well as if they read at normal speed. If a thorough understanding of the text is not the reader’s goal, then speed reading or skimming the text will allow the reader to get through it faster with moderate comprehension. The way to maintain high comprehension and get through text faster is to practice reading and to become a more skilled language user (e.g., through increased vocabulary). This is because language skill is at the heart of reading speed.
