Whoa! Silent speed reading

I recently discovered, for the first time (through my first Rhetoric lecture with Mr. Wilson), the technique of reading silently (without sub-vocalizing (to use the term Mr. Wilson used). I had thought before that reading silently meant that you weren't speaking aloud. I mastered this type of reading soon after I learned to read. However, in the past when I've read I've always heard the words in my head as I read them. I don't even mouth them with my lips but it is still as if I'm reading aloud. It's kind of cool sometimes because if the author has a distinctive voice (like a foreign accent or something) the words are heard in my head in his accent. Like I said, Sometimes this is great (like when I'm reading poetry; or just for recreational reading) but at other times it's just plain annoying (like when you are trying to read 300 pgs. of Augustine in just one night).

So, I'm just starting to be able to read without that little annoying voice in my head saying every word I read for me. Now, the words go straight from the page, to my eyes and then to my brain. This has lead to a great revolution in the speed and efficiency of my reading. It's truly amazing how much faster I can read if I forgo the audible translation process.

The only catch is that I can only pull this off for roughly half a page and then the words revolt, if you will, and burst into audible form. I hope to get better at this as time progresses. Stay tuned for more news of my mad reading skills.