There is a cyclical question that comes up in the reading community online: Does listening to an audiobook count as reading? I am going to attempt something that the internet doesn't like and give a nuanced answer.
I think that people on either side of this question are interpreting the question in different ways. The people who say audiobooks aren't reading are being literal. There is a difference between looking at characters and extrapolating meaning from them versus listening to words and extrapolating meaning from them. We are practicing different skills.
As a father to two young children, I think this can most easily be pointed out by the fact that my children could very easily listen to a story, but they cannot read the words on a page by themselves. No one would say they can read because they can listen and understand a story. They haven't developed the skill of translating characters into words, linking words into sentences, and interpreting the meaning of what was written.
In this way, I think there is a clear difference between reading and listening to a book.
However, there is a different way of interpreting the question, does an audiobook count as reading? The word reading not only refers to the physical act of reading words off a page. It also refers to the process of digesting the meaning of text.
So when some people hear, does an audiobook count as reading, they hear, do a listener and a reader go through the same mental processes to digest a text, contextualize it, draw out meaning, and engage with that meaning? The answer is, yes.
Whether I have listened to or physically read the story of the Odyssey, I can engage with the text. I can argue symbolism, contextualize the story within my understanding of the time period, critique the themes and values in the text, and analyze the prose of any given translation.
By listening to a text, I have read it given this second understanding of what reading means.
This is all to say that the answer, as in most cases, is not black and white.
I would argue that the physical act of reading and listening train different skills. As an author, engaging with the words on a page or screen helps me think about language differently than when I am listening to it. When it comes to the act of reading and writing, a physical book or ebook helps me more. I can glean some things from listening, but it is a different experience for me.
This is not a statement of which is better. This is simply an acknowledgement of difference.
Audiobooks are great for many reasons. I am an avid audiobook reader. First of all, they open access to books and information. Regardless of ability status (physical or mental ability/disability), many more people can engage with books through an audiobook than a written book. They are more time efficient. And there are more than a few of us who could work on our listening skills.
Written works challenge us in different ways. They help us directly engage with language and grammar on the page/screen. They help develop our fluency with the written word.
Because people interpret the question differently, from their vantage point the opposition answer is denying reality.
If you hear the question and assume we are speaking about the physical act of reading the written word, it seems like nonsense for someone to say an audiobook is the same as a physical book.
If you take reading to mean the act of engaging with text, the idea that an audiobook isn't engaging with text is plainly wrong.
Either way, I think we need to allow more room for discussion than will fit in a twitter thread.
Comments