What is it like to be hearing?

[SimplyMints]

ARRG! Are you serious?! Oh man now I need a plan B!

Obviously im kidding, I'd make a really crappy interpreter if I was Deaf myself lol.
"I would like to request an interpreter so I can interpret for my clients please "

 

[~SG~]

It depends on the hertz, really. I know that anything past 16,000Hz and to 22,000Hz (which most people can't hear but lucky me, I can) hurts really bad. And some low pitches, like the really really low ones are annoying.

Ah for explaining. It is quite interesting to know most people can't hear anything past 16,000Hz to 22,000Hz.

 

[SimplyMints]

ARRG! Are you serious?! Oh man now I need a plan B!

Obviously im kidding, I'd make a really crappy interpreter if I was Deaf myself lol.
"I would like to request an interpreter so I can interpret for my clients please "

On the other hand, it was an ear infection that once bumped my right ear 40 decibels ahead of my left! A few of those in each ear ought to do the trick! And I'd be glad to serve as your interpreter so you can interpret for people. I just need somebody to interpret for me.

 

[AlleyCat]

I have cats that I absolutely adore, and I hate that I can't hear them meow when I see them meowing. Can anyone explain what the meow sound is like? My sister once said that all cats meow differently, and that one of my cats' meow was more of a soft "rowr" and I can sort of get that. What else do meows sound like?

 

[SimplyMints]

I have cats that I absolutely adore, and I hate that I can't hear them meow when I see them meowing. Can anyone explain what the meow sound is like? My sister once said that all cats meow differently, and that one of my cats' meow was more of a soft "rowr" and I can sort of get that. What else do meows sound like?

After seeing this post, I asked my sister to describe a cat meowing. Her response wasn't quite the kind I was expecting, but I decided I'll tell you anyway.

"sounds cute and non-threatening, even when trying to sound threatening"

After I showed her your post, she added:

"high pitched and squeaky like a baby chick"
"peeeeeeeeeeep"

(She often describes her youngest kitten as saying "peep" and she nicknamed her "Peepers").

 

[SimplyMints]

I have cats that I absolutely adore, and I hate that I can't hear them meow when I see them meowing. Can anyone explain what the meow sound is like? My sister once said that all cats meow differently, and that one of my cats' meow was more of a soft "rowr" and I can sort of get that. What else do meows sound like?

Here, she wrote me a script for a 4:00 AM cat fight for you:

Mroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwggwgwgwwwwwwggwwwgwg

...

MrrooooOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwww

...

MrrrAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOWWWWwwwwwwwwwwwww..

MrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrOOOOOWWWW!!! CKKKKSSsshhhhT!!! rrrRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrr!! MOEOEOEOOEEOEOEOREOROEOREOEWW!!!!!

(etcetera)

It's like, you're trying to sleep, but there in your open bay window in front of your bed, there are two cats. One black short-hair house cat hunched down staring intently at the other cat, ears flattened, tail twitching and puffed up, the other cat a long-hair orange and white striped stray standing tall, arched back, flat ears, eyes locked on the other. Looking at the silhouettes from the streetlight, it's impossible to close your eyes and try to sleep through this. A fight is about to explode. You don't know who owns that black cat, but you're hoping the owner will come rescue it.

 

[AlleyCat]

Here, she wrote me a script for a 4:00 AM cat fight for you:

Mroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwggwgwgwwwwwwggwwwgwg

...

MrrooooOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwww

...

MrrrAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOWWWWwwwwwwwwwwwww..

MrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrOOOOOWWWW!!! CKKKKSSsshhhhT!!! rrrRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrr!! MOEOEOEOOEEOEOEOREOROEOREOEWW!!!!!

(etcetera)

It's like, you're trying to sleep, but there in your open bay window in front of your bed, there are two cats. One black short-hair house cat hunched down staring intently at the other cat, ears flattened, tail twitching and puffed up, the other cat a long-hair orange and white striped stray standing tall, arched back, flat ears, eyes locked on the other. Looking at the silhouettes from the streetlight, it's impossible to close your eyes and try to sleep through this. A fight is about to explode. You don't know who owns that black cat, but you're hoping the owner will come rescue it.

LOL I know all about those cat fights! But mine are within the house so I see airplane ears (flattened ears!) all the time, poofed up tails whipping around, and the like. I can hear portions of those fights when they're thwacking into chairs that scrape across the floor, and so on .. LOL

 

[Flo]

The Cat Fight Post was hilarious!!...Well hello this is my first post, found this site by accident i guess...lol..but to answer the original question:

Hearing is something i think most hearing folks take for granted. It's so "common" to us that we naturally tune out sounds or don't appreciate the sounds that we can hear (some people listed the birds, bees, cats, planes, trains)..it's interesting to hear different voices, music octaves, even animals sound different..i once heard an alto-sounding cat meow and a very hi-pitched soprano meow..lol..i do find odd, hearing my own voice..when i record myself or even plug my ears and talk, i sound sooo different from what i "think" i normally sound like..so hearing is quite dynamic

what i've always tried to figure out is how Deaf or HOH people "feel music vibrations"?

 

[DizzyDon62]

I had hearing for 43 1/2 years of my life I lost my hearing due to Meniere's Disease sure there are things I miss hearing but I think more not. My 6 years with the disease as a hearing at times was very painfull as hearing the different tones some where like a needle going through my ear. After living like that being totaly deaf is not bad its quiet exept for the tinnitus but life is not perfect with all the noise in the world man makes its a wonder hearing aids aren't sold like mp3 players God knows there making themselves deaf anyway. I don't think your missing much really I don't miss it at all

 

[Music_Life]

Ah for explaining. It is quite interesting to know most people can't hear anything past 16,000Hz to 22,000Hz.

It comes with age, starting around 19 people start losing the higher range, so I'm the only person in my family who hears the tv and computer buzzing and lights, ha ha. 22,000Hz is dog whistle range... which hurts, LOL

 

[emmers4life]

i wish i wasn't hearing...

i wish i wasn't hearing. we have a deaf program at my school and i am friends with the deaf kids. my best friend mike sayd that he wants to be hearing! he never really says why though. but really i wish that i could be deaf. i love being in a room with all of them and the energy they give off is just so amazing! i don't have that. they look at the world differnet becasue tehy see it through there eyes instead of with ther ears. i hate hearing, its taken for grante so easily.

 

[Hermes]

I have cats that I absolutely adore, and I hate that I can't hear them meow when I see them meowing. Can anyone explain what the meow sound is like? My sister once said that all cats meow differently, and that one of my cats' meow was more of a soft "rowr" and I can sort of get that. What else do meows sound like?

I have a cat. I didnt count it myself but its is said that an average cat has 100 different vocals. They dont make the same sound for everything. For example if he wants food or wants me to open a door meows are longer and deeper. If he just responds to something I tell him its a shorter meow. If he is telling me something (yes some breeds love to talk, mine does) it depends on his mood and what he is trying to tell. If he wants something he changes his tone more often and talks deeper. If he wants me to leave him alone and not bug him, its meowing once, shorter and sharper (If I dont leave him alone, he gets up and moves away ) . Though I still couldnt decode what he tries to tell when he starts a random conversation

That rowr sound is not him meowing. They do it when they are happy (or sometimes irritated, but when they are with you , their owner, its most often a happy sign) . It comes from their babyhood. They make that sound as kittens while their mother is nurturing them , so their mother knows they all are ok. They keep this habit later on. You will notice they do it either while you are petting them or when they are close to you. Its either "I am happy you are loving me" or if you are not loving him already , its "Love me, pet me, scratch me" They do not only make that rowr sound but their body also vibrates while they are doing it so you can easily sense it. I think it starts coming from their lunge. Different people have different thoughts on how they make that sound. Its like a little engine going on.

I cant really describe you how it sounds , but imagine not knowing any words and trying to talk using high pitch sounds . They really try to express their feelings using their voice. So they make different high pitch sounds in different situations and they change their tone while talking to you. Thats why it doesnt sound same when different cats meow.

-

 

[web730]

I have a cat. I didnt count it myself but its is said that an average cat has 100 different vocals. They dont make the same sound for everything. For example if he wants food or wants me to open a door meows are longer and deeper. If he just responds to something I tell him its a shorter meow. If he is telling me something (yes some breeds love to talk, mine does) it depends on his mood and what he is trying to tell. If he wants something he changes his tone more often and talks deeper. If he wants me to leave him alone and not bug him, its meowing once, shorter and sharper (If I dont leave him alone, he gets up and moves away ) . Though I still couldnt decode what he tries to tell when he starts a random conversation

That rowr sound is not him meowing. They do it when they are happy (or sometimes irritated, but when they are with you , their owner, its most often a happy sign) . It comes from their babyhood. They make that sound as kittens while their mother is nurturing them , so their mother knows they all are ok. They keep this habit later on. You will notice they do it either while you are petting them or when they are close to you. Its either "I am happy you are loving me" or if you are not loving him already , its "Love me, pet me, scratch me" They do not only make that rowr sound but their body also vibrates while they are doing it so you can easily sense it. I think it starts coming from their lunge. Different people have different thoughts on how they make that sound. Its like a little engine going on.

I cant really describe you how it sounds , but imagine not knowing any words and trying to talk using high pitch sounds . They really try to express their feelings using their voice. So they make different high pitch sounds in different situations and they change their tone while talking to you. Thats why it doesnt sound same when different cats meow.

-

Wow! I had no idea that cats do have different sounds whenever meowing.

I own two cats... one of them... she and I often meow to each other (cat copying) lol... yet sometimes I know what she wants but sometimes I couldn't. Thanks for the insights about their meow voices... so interesting!

 

[LunaLarsen]

I have normal hearing. I am also anosmic, that is I have no sense of smell. I was born without a sense of smell.
I have often wondered what being able to smell is like. I have asked many people about it, but since most of them don't know what NOT being able to smell is like they often don't make much sense.

So, what i am saying is I can hear, but I don't really know what not being able to hear is like so maybe I won't make much sense, but I will try

I can't think of anything I would like NOT to be able to hear. There are sounds that are unplesant, but they are usually unplesant for a reason. The fire alarm for example has an unplesant sound...
It is like with smells. Some people tell me that I am lucky because I can't smell, I don't have to smell things like dog-shit. It is true I don't smell that, but I would rather smell the bad smell and be warned off rather than step in it and not notice it untill I have dragged it all over the house. The same goes for most unplesant sounds, they are there for a reason...

I think kimpossible explained hearing really well he/she said that 'You can do it through walls, in the dark, or from miles away with your eyes closed because sound just surrounds you whereas vision isn't 360" '. So you are in the middle of it. Always, everywhere.
Different places have different sounds - background sounds. A forest sounds different from a street, the place where I work sounds different from my home.
As has been said many times, you don't really notice the background sounds. If the sounds change, fx. if a bird starts to sing or a person starts to speak, or the person next to me droppes something on the floor (he just did), you notice it. You don't really notice the background sounds unless you decide to.

Someone wrote '...there is virtually no way to shut down the noises (if you even wanted to); How is it that you guys are able to bear with it?'
Well think smell again. I have been told that most (if not all) things have a smell. It may not be strong, but it is there. Places have smells. You can move around and the smells change, but they never go away (am I right?) So how do you guys cope?
I am guessing that you do the exact same thing with background smells as hearing people do with sound, you filter out the background smells and only pay attention to changes in smell (a I right?)

Well I hope this helps some one

Luna

 

[Celticty]

Everyone explained being hearing very well. I totaly agree that it has alot of disadvantages like noise pollution and people fighting, upstairs neighbors with loud kids, having to listen to peoples volgarity things like that. The advantages that I can think of is being able to listen to nature itself. The sound of a brook in the forest, the birds chirping, the sound of rain coming down, a childs laughter, the sound of a cat purring. There are a few others but you get the idea. I hope this helps.

 

[Celticty]

I have a cat. I didnt count it myself but its is said that an average cat has 100 different vocals. They dont make the same sound for everything. For example if he wants food or wants me to open a door meows are longer and deeper. If he just responds to something I tell him its a shorter meow. If he is telling me something (yes some breeds love to talk, mine does) it depends on his mood and what he is trying to tell. If he wants something he changes his tone more often and talks deeper. If he wants me to leave him alone and not bug him, its meowing once, shorter and sharper (If I dont leave him alone, he gets up and moves away ) . Though I still couldnt decode what he tries to tell when he starts a random conversation

That rowr sound is not him meowing. They do it when they are happy (or sometimes irritated, but when they are with you , their owner, its most often a happy sign) . It comes from their babyhood. They make that sound as kittens while their mother is nurturing them , so their mother knows they all are ok. They keep this habit later on. You will notice they do it either while you are petting them or when they are close to you. Its either "I am happy you are loving me" or if you are not loving him already , its "Love me, pet me, scratch me" They do not only make that rowr sound but their body also vibrates while they are doing it so you can easily sense it. I think it starts coming from their lunge. Different people have different thoughts on how they make that sound. Its like a little engine going on.

I cant really describe you how it sounds , but imagine not knowing any words and trying to talk using high pitch sounds . They really try to express their feelings using their voice. So they make different high pitch sounds in different situations and they change their tone while talking to you. Thats why it doesnt sound same when different cats meow.

-

You have a good point. I have noticed that with one of my cats. She does meow long when I am getting her food, it tends to rise in pitch too lol almost sounds like something is wrong with her

 

[loldrey]

What's it like to be hearing? That's a really good question, and it's hard to answer. It's not something I've ever thought about, just something I've always taken for granted, like being born female. I can't really imagine being any other way.
There are times where I wish I could just turn my ears off temporarily because I'm in a loud environment, or I'm trying to sleep and the neighbor's dog is barking. I wouldn't want to sacrifice my hearing because I love music so much, and it's just part of who I am, but I don't see anything bad about being Deaf or HoH either. The only time I ever pay attention to the fact that my friends or classmates can't hear is when other people make a big deal out of it. To me, it's just like the difference between being from USA or from India. It's all cultural.
It's hard to explain what it's like to be Hearing, and I imagine it's hard to explain what it's like to be Deaf. It's kind of like saying "What's it like to be a guy?" or "What's it like to be black?" All I can say is, "I dunno, it's just who I am."

 

[SimplyMints]

I thought of another element of hearing that might shed some light on what it's like to be hearing. Since becoming deaf, my perception of everyday things is temporarily different the first time I encounter them after losing my hearing. The consistency of objects you handle are partly determined by the noises they make when they strike or brush against other objects.

Here's an example that got my attention last night when I was brushing my teeth (an interesting experience on its own when you first realise you can't hear the toothbrush against your teeth in your own mouth). As I was screwing the lid back on the toothpaste tube, my brain automatically told me the tube and the lid were made of gel and were coated in a slimy substance. This is because screwing the lid on the tube usually makes a bit of a noise because the toothpaste is viscus and the lid is made of hard plastic. I didn't hear any noise, and so my brain made up a reason and attributed it to the materials I was handling rather than the fact that I simply couldn't hear.

When I run the water and it makes no sound, my brain tells me the water is coming out of large pipes with open valves and no bubbles.

When I'm doing the dishes and I put the plates on other dishes, they usually make a clanking sound that means they're made of porcelain or glass or some such substance. The lack of sound tells me they're still wet, and they're made of a flimsy rubber.

I guess my point is, my ears tell me what everything is made of. Now that I'm deaf, it's wrong almost all the time, but when I could hear the sounds things made, it was usually very accurate since every type of substance makes its own unique sound. Even the shapes of these objects when made of the same material have their own special sound. A clay plate sounds different from a clay mug.

Even walking on the kitchen tile is different. When I'm wearing my slippers, I'm used to hearing a slight crinkling or scraping sound since the bottoms of my slippers are made of a sort of leathery plastic that creates a little friction on the tile flooring. Because there's no sound, my brain tells me the bottoms of my slippers are made of soft silky cushions that glide across the tile with no friction.

When I stir my coffee in the porcelain mug with a metal spoon, it's as though my spoon is made with rubber edges because it doesn't clang against the sides of the mug when I stir it as metal would.

Does this help give any insight?

 

[Jolie77]

Does this help give any insight?

Yes, It did give a lot of insights to this, more than you ever would know. It's quite interesting to see how the hearing members on the board describes their experiences of what it is like to be able to hear.

I knew by being able to hear, you'd hear sounds or things like that but in details, I didn't realize there was everything to a depth that could describe everything that can be heard with.

One would compare it with visual metaphor, another one would compare it with the tasting metaphor, one would compare it with various stuffs. Still, as being deaf as I am, I could not help wonder but to ask.

I suppose, it is as hard as describing colors to a blind person as it is describing the sounds to a deaf person or vice versa if we were to describe how it is like to be a deaf person to a hearing person too.

Thank you, Everyone on this thread for their efforts. I appreciate this.

Feel free to continue, It'd be very much obliged.

 

[SimplyMints]

Certainly! It's a lot of fun too =)

As my memories of hearing become more and more distant, I find that I'm forgetting what it was truly like to be hearing. Thinking about it is more like thinking of what it would be like to be telepathic or to have some other alien or SciFi sense. This helps me to remember what it was actually like in my own experiences.

I was born and raised in a region where there would be no less than three straight months every year during which there would be a thick blanket of snow covering the ground. It was imperceptible that plant life would survive without the rest it would get in fall and winter, and the renewing season of spring. In my mind, the survival of vegetation required a period when it would freeze and grow new buds. This is when everything blossoms, and from the blossoms come new fruit.

But when I was in my early teens, our family moved to Hawai'i, where it virtually never snowed at ocean level. It baffled me that everything would blossom even though it still had leaves all over it. But after about three years, I found I was just the opposite as I was when I first arrived. I found it baffling that any plant could survive being frozen every winter and losing all its leaves every fall.

If you're wondering why I wrote that on this thread, it's because I think I'm going through that same experience again, only this time, it's because I moved from being hearing to being totally deaf. It's a different reality to me. So the idea of hearing doesn't even seem real to me any more because I'm not in that reality.