How Reading

Works?

READ BETTER FASTER MASTERCLASS

A word is a symbol.
 
From early times, people figured it out that every time they combine
some letters in a specific order, they will associate them with an
object or idea.
 
Let’s have a practical example.
 
Take the letters: A, E, L, P, P. If you mix them in a specific order -
such as  “A-P-P-L-E” - you are going to think at a round, colored,
juicy object that grows from a specific tree. You will associate a
specific identity to these words.

The sound we make when we pronounce “apple” is an audible

symbol for the actual object.
 
Similarly, we think about our partners when we look at our wedding
rings; in the same way, we reflect on a real apple when we hear the
sound “apple.”
 
The good part is that our minds don’t have to do much work. We are
automatically trained from the time we are young what to think of
when we hear “Apple,” or any other word.
 
When we think about writing, things get complicated. If a sound
symbolizes a concept, then writing symbolizes a sound that
expresses an idea.
 
HOW READING WORKS? 1
Let's have a short exercise.
 
Think about the words you are reading on a book. How are you
doing this process? Are you reading those words out loud? Most
probably, you’re thinking the words silently in your head, and you
still make meaning out of them.
 
Basically, this process looks like this:
1. Your mind sees the written letters
2. Then, it thinks about the sounds those letters represent
3. And then it connects these sounds to the meanings.
 
This process is called sub vocalization and it can seriously slow your
reading speed if you don't keep it under control.

To sum up this introductory lesson, words are symbols of ideas.

When we talk or read, we’re just using symbols to communicate
what we’re thinking.
 
My opinion is that the process of sub vocalization can slow down
your reading speed because you’re attempting to pronounce each
word in your mind. In the next lessons we’ll go deeper in what speed
reading is and how to increase it. 

HOW READING WORKS? 2