The ability to read lips is called art by many. In fact, it is a valuable skill that anyone can learn. Such mastery is a hidden ability of a person, which, if desired, can be developed and used.
Why should we learn lip reading? What is the name of the person who has mastered this skill? In Western practice, they are called lip-readers (lip-readers). This term is not used in Russian.
Who needs lip reading skills
People start learning to read lips for a variety of reasons. Some were interested in books and films about spies, where the main characters used this skill to “eavesdrop” on important information. Others have chosen this method on their way to self-improvement. And the third such skill is simply vital. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, lip reading is the only way to absorb information.
Even if you do not have an urgent need to master the perception of speech from the lips, we can say that in life such a skill can be useful to everyone. This makes it easy to communicate in situations where you need to be quiet and notask again when something is misheard in a noisy place. In general, this skill will help you better understand others.
How to learn to read lips?
Lip reading is a skill that a person can develop through training and practice. Naturally, someone has a greater predisposition to developing this skill, and someone less, but we can safely say that everyone can master lip reading. Depending on the presence of an innate tendency to this kind of perception, different people may need different amounts of time and effort for this.
What is the difficulty of learning?
It would seem that it is difficult to remember the movements of the lips when pronouncing each letter and syllable? Not so simple. The pattern of the lips is different when pronouncing different letters. But there are some letters that are pronounced differently but "look" the same. For example, it is difficult to distinguish between the consonants "F" and "V". It is almost impossible to distinguish whether it is pronounced "B", "M" or "P". And, finally, hissing sounds: "W", "F", "H" - a problem for perception. Among the vowels, there are pairs of such sounds: “O” - “Yo”, “U” - “Yu”, “A” - “I”. These letters are called invisible.
You can learn to perceive such sounds by placing them in syllables and connecting logic and guesswork.
Self-Study Exercises
The first assistant in self-learning the technique of lip reading is a mirror. What needs to be done is to consistently pronounce letters in front of a mirror, then syllables and words, then phrases and expressions. At the same time, special attentiongive your reflection. Your main task is to remember the movements of the lips when pronouncing the most used syllables.
Next, the TV will help us in learning. Take a favorite movie that you have watched several times. It is advisable that you remember what the dialogues are about in this film. We turn off the sound and look, trying to visually perceive the conversation. At the next stage, in the same way, you can watch news or unfamiliar films and TV shows. It will become noticeable that if you do not know what they are talking about on the TV screen, it becomes more difficult to perceive information on the lips. But the key is practice.
Your friends and relatives can become your assistants on the way to learning the technique of lip reading. Ask them to “talk” to you without sound and try to catch the meaning of such speech in everyday conditions.
Hunt. You can just sit in the park on a bench to watch the rest and practice lip reading.
Problems you may encounter
There are also some nuances that can complicate the learning process:
- Unknown topic of conversation - this can be a problem in the early stages of learning. It disappears when practical skills of perception of speech from the lips appear. In rare cases, when the conversation is on highly specialized topics, using terms, the speech may not be perceived even by professional lip-readers.
- Fuzzy articulation is an individual feature of each person. Onecan pronounce words, clearly fixing each syllable with facial muscles, while the other uses less facial expressions when speaking, which complicates understanding.
- Fast pace of speech - can complicate perception, as articulation changes during high-speed conversation. Very fast speech can only be understood after much practice.
Special courses or computer program - what to choose?
There are several options by which the technique of lip reading is mastered. We have already looked at how you can get this skill yourself. But if there is a choice: studying at home, using a computer program, or enrolling in specialized courses, what will be more effective? What is the fastest way to achieve your goal and master lip reading?
Learning with a computer program is "communication" with a synthetic face. It pronounces the text, your task is to perceive this text without sound accompaniment. There are different settings and hints. Those who used this program to learn how to read lips say that such a robot is very easy to understand, it has bright facial expressions and expressive articulation. But the problem is that, having got used to such ideal conditions, it is very difficult to adjust to the perception of living people, each of which is individual.
That is, for mastering the theory and the basics of perception, such a program can be useful, but for the practice of lip reading, you need to choose and study human speech, although thisharder.
On the courses, training takes place in a group. In the process of classes, it is possible to see the articulation of many people and compare the features of their facial expressions. This immediately gives practical experience in mastering the skill. Although such training may take longer, it is definitely more effective. In addition, the lessons are conducted by qualified deaf teachers who are able to interpret all incomprehensible and controversial points.
