It’s a well-known fact that kids learn to read by speaking words aloud, and only later are they able to channel that brain activity into a silent internal monologue. But in terms of what goes on in our brains when we read silently, not much has been known.
Now a group of Italian researchers have discovered that our brain carries over the same tactics from reading aloud to read silently. As you read this article, your brain is behaving as if you’re speaking the words aloud to yourself — a discovery that highlights the important role sound plays in language.
In order to get access to the inner workings of the brain, researchers recruited 12 men and 4 women who were set to undergo surgery for malignant brain tumors. During neurosurgery, researchers attached electrodes to each participant’s Broca’s area — the part of the brain responsible for speech production — ...
