"Speaking" along while reading

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Often (not always), when I read, at some point I notice that there's a voice in my head speaking along with the sentences. I normally read pretty fast, but after a few minutes I subconsciously slow down and then there's this voice in my brain, which I only become aware of a while later. It's usually my voice, but imitating the character speaking (for example, my voice how it would sound like if I was imitating an old man). Sometimes I actually start to whisper along, and really try to find a good intonation and accent fitting the character and situation. I'm not interested in any kind of acting though, and don't have a clue why my brain does this. It's a rather recent thing and started maybe a few months ago. It's not causing me any kind of distress, I just wonder why I suddenly started doing this. Do you do this too?

EDIT: recent, not decent. Ugh.

Last edited by Sanctus on 23 Nov 2012, 7:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I do this! I actually have different mental voices for different purposes/reading subjects. One time I was reading something in Owen Wilson's voice for no particular reason. However, it slows me down a bit so I don't do it all the time.

Yes I do that to. I've always done it, well as long as I can remember anyway.
I have never thought about whether or not it's a normal thing to do.

May be a reason i have trouble reading fast. I always hear the words in my head and i have trouble figuring out what is going on if someone talks too quickly.

I always say the words to myself while reading. How do you read without doing this?

Pretty sure almost everyone does this, NT's included. ThePostmaster said in another forum post that he/she doesn't hear a voice in his/her head when he/she reads.

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp5007075.html

My NT mother says that she does, then said that she thinks everyone does. As I write this I hear my own voice in my head. I have heard my mother's voice read as I read, it's kind of fun when that happens. Usually though, when I read/write, I hear my own voice. Maybe I should try to "turn on" Morgan Freeman's voice... then I would probably read a lot more.

I translate the words into a movie and see the characters and actions in my mind.

Never do this, have never thought about it before. I just read - fast - there is just the words going into my head.

To me, these woices sound scary

I don't know if I hear a voice in my head when I read (I think I read too quickly for that at times), but I like to read dialogue out loud, and I try to replicate the accent the character would have. It's only problematic if I'm reading on the train and I have to fight the urge to read aloud.

This explains why most people can read a book 10 times faster than me (or faster, cos I usually give up by page 2). I hear the voices of the people in the book and the narrator (which will be my voice). They all speak at a normal talking speed, so I can only read as fast I speak. Speed readers (or anyone who claims to read a 300 page novel in a few hours) obviously cannot be doing this, otherwise they'd be hearing Alvin and the Chupmunks. That wouldn't be good. In fact, I've just come across this website which explains that, if you want to read faster, you have to get rid of the voice. http://www.spreeder.com/blog/how-to-imp ... alization/

I don't do this. My voice would be an external cue that would distract me.

Inner monologue or something - apparently everyone has it?

The problem is when you put the books away and hes happily chatting to you for hours deppressing you about all kinds of things. You can shut him up with candy though yay!

You mean there are actually some people who read and don't hear the words in their mind?

Yes, I do find you all very strange!

I just checked and I hear a my voice in French (with appropriate pronunciation) when reading French too. I thought everyone heard words while reading them.

Yup. It's a neutral asexual voice but if I had to give it a gender I'd say it's male. It's as if someone is "telling" me the story.

But I'd be willing to bet non-ASD people do this too. It just seems like something that's not uncommon.