Lipreading in Fiction

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RandomHearie

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I was wondering whether you like the way lipreading is portrayed in fiction, or whether it's inaccurate. I've read several stories that present it like normal spoken dialogue, but mention that the d/Deaf character is looking at the other person and lipreading them. Are you happy with that portrayal or would you rather something different?

(Oh, and, just to give you a laugh, I once read something where a hearing character was speaking to a deaf one, but the deaf one couldn't read her lips because he wasn't looking, so she signed along with what she was saying. Even though he wasn't looking.)
 
What happens in fiction stories don't apply to real life. There is a reason why they're called fiction stories. Not worth my time reading unless it's about deaf ferrets learning to drive a car with turbocharged engine.
 
Fiction stories are not textbooks in Speechreading. Don't recall any comment on characters doing speechreading( lipreading)
 
Deaf characters in books give people the wrong idea about what a deaf really can do.
 
RandomHearie said:
I was wondering whether you like the way lipreading is portrayed in fiction, or whether it's inaccurate. I've read several stories that present it like normal spoken dialogue, but mention that the d/Deaf character is looking at the other person and lipreading them. Are you happy with that portrayal or would you rather something different?

(Oh, and, just to give you a laugh, I once read something where a hearing character was speaking to a deaf one, but the deaf one couldn't read her lips because he wasn't looking, so she signed along with what she was saying. Even though he wasn't looking.)
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I always thought lip reading itself was pure fiction.

Laura
 
From my Speech reading classes at Canadian Hearing Society/Toronto-very difficult skill. to learn. The reason that one can "approximate" only 30% of words-some on "down your throat" thus not exactly "visible" like say P/ B/ M.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
Why do you think that? I lipsread people all the time when I can't hear them
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So doesn't everyone actually...they just don't know it. I've always believed lip reading is 90% guess work and 10% luck. Even at my level of hearing and strong command of the language, what you pick up through lip reading alone is essentially useless. I might be able to get the gist of the conversation and follow it somewhat but no way in Hell I could lip read everyone and understand a conversation all the way through.
 
One has to know the topic of discussion and of course pay "close attention" to the speaker.
aside: everything I keyed relates only to English-whether French/Spanish et al is the same -not mentioned in classes-then.
 
drphil said:
One has to know the topic of discussion and of course pay "close attention" to the speaker.
aside: everything I keyed relates only to English-whether French/Spanish et al is the same -not mentioned in classes-then.
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And don't forget not everyone speaks English the same way. Regional accents, as with non-native speakers of English struggling to make themselves understood, can be difficult to follow accurately....also whether they're chewing gum or mumbling...there are many factors that will hinder the clarity.
 
Research has shown that people, on average, get about 30% of what is being said by lipreading.

Also, fiction never shows deaf people getting headaches or achy eyes after hours of lipreading, does it?
 
The concentration and eye strain is tedious...or in other words...horrible. I was a fluent lipreader for many years....and I paid for it dearly with headaches, eye strain and problems with my vision.
 
Lau2046 said:
So doesn't everyone actually...they just don't know it. I've always believed lip reading is 90% guess work and 10% luck. Even at my level of hearing and strong command of the language, what you pick up through lip reading alone is essentially useless. I might be able to get the gist of the conversation and follow it somewhat but no way in Hell I could lip read everyone and understand a conversation all the way through.
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I lipsread when I can't hear the person , I disagree with you. I was able to read some people lips and got their whole conversation. They where talking about my hearing dog gentle leader. The woman asked the guy what was that thing around my dog face and the guy said my dog bite and it was muzzle. I told the couple I could read their lips and that is was not a muzzle, they said nothing and their faces got red. I was able to read every word they said. I will agree that some people are not easy to read and I know people that are hearing that say they do not know how to read lips.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
I lipsread when I can't hear the person , I disagree with you. I was able to read some people lips and got their whole conversation. They where talking about my hearing dog gentle leader. The woman asked the guy what was that thing around my dog face and the guy said my dog bite and it was muzzle. I told the couple I could read their lips and that is was not a muzzle, they said nothing and their faces got red. I was able to read every word they said. I will agree that some people are not easy to read and I know people that are hearing that say they do not know how to read lips.
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So you can catch everything with 100% accuracy by lipreading alone? Wow, a rarity!
 
shel90 said:
So you can catch everything with 100% accuracy by lipreading alone? Wow, a rarity!
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When Mozart was a child, he just looked at the piano one day and could just play....not everyone can do that and it doesn't mean there's something wrong with us because we can't.

I used to work with a deaf girl at one time, the boss loved her and swore she understood everyone clearly by lip reading alone. She didn't. I heard complaints from senior staff that unless they wrote everything that they just said again in an email, she misunderstood everything. I know from my own dealing with her that she never got anything I said right, which is why I always put it on paper. Some people insist they can lip read but don't realize, they're not as successful as they think....she was one of those people, and no matter how often we tried to put it in writing, she'd stop us from doing so, and insist she could understand everything verbally. There was just no convincing her she wasn't even in the ball park. Finally people just gave up - the District Director included, and would go to my coworker and I for everything.
 
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