Do deaf people hear a voice in their thoughts or while reading?
Question:
Answers:
Only if they can hear. There different degrees of deafness. Some can hear a little to not being able to hear at all. Some were born that way while other happen over time.
The same is true with dreams of a deaf person they do not dream voices the dream in sign.
They have a complex language that takes usually 8 years to master. The same area in the brain that is used for spoken language is also used in sign.
Here are some links to help you better understand ASL American Sign Language.
Other Answers:
In that they are deaf, it would be hard to explain how their mind works. Perhaps they view it just as a normal person would. They may think alike as us. Or could they possibly have an altered perception of the world because they can't hear much (or at all)?
Not usually. They see pictures and use their imagination like everyone else. If they are born deaf they have never heard the spoken word. If someone goes deaf at an older age then yes they can.
Source(s):
Work in a school with deaf children.
Actually the majority of those who are born deaf can actually hear with hearing aids these days. I am profoundly deaf which is in the 80-85% hearing loss range. I cannot hear without my hearing aids, but with the aids on, I'm like hard of hearing. I'm very well aware of what is around me auditorially.
Right I cannot understand what is being spoken to me unless I am lipreading. Actually I lipread half, while I listen to half and my brain puts it together. It's kind of funny how I go "what what" without my hearing aids even though I can lip read. I understand better with my aids on.
I'll see if I can give you an idea of what is going on in my brain when I am reading. In order for me to learn a new word, vocabulary, I have to first read it in order to give my brain an idea of how it will be pronounced, then either someone will tell me how it is pronounced or I find out from looking in the dictionary pronunciation. It's hard for me to learn a new word auditorially first because my brain needs to know what letters are involved. It needs to see the "picture format" for the sounds. So letters themselves are actually symbols for sounds.
When I read, I both see the words and how it is spoken in my head. That is only because English is my first and main language. I've been speaking all my life, so it is not much different than you.
As for those who only sign, but yet are bilingual as all deaf need to learn both ASL and English. You cannot go to school without learning how to read and write English. It is a requirement. It's a myth that deaf people only know sign. They are bilingual.
So those who mainly sign, would probably both visually see in their minds the sign and the "symbols" for the words, the letters and words themselves. As they are more visually oriented.
Rather than "hear" in their minds the words, they "see" the words visually. Does that make sense? I mean language is not limited to sounds only. When we read, we are using our eyes are we not? So the brain does not have to speak it out in the mind, it can also show pictures of how the words look of the language instead.
I asked my ASL teacher that question. She says that she thinks in a combination of signs and visualizing the written word. It seems wierd to hearing people, but never having a song stuck in your head or never hearing a fly buzz past your ear seems wierd to us.
A good question. I am not sure I would have to find a deaf friend to ask but I am pretty sure they do.
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