Lipreading: how it works

Learning objectives Recognise the different processes and skills involved in lipreading Revise factors that help or hinder lipreading Relevant for assignment 2(d) part (i)

Pass the message down the line! 1. The person at one end has a phrase on a piece of paper. 2. They mouth the phrase (no voice) to their neighbour to lipread it. 3. This person then mouths the word to the next person…. and so on, to the last person. 4. Try to let only the person next to you see what you are mouthing.

What proportion of sounds can be seen on the lips? You can only see about 30% of speech sounds. Many of those can be confused with each other. So how do people lipread?

More than just watching lips! Lipreading is about much more than just watching for movements of the lips – it’s also about the teeth, tongue, jaw, eyebrows...

How do we lipread? Observing the lip movements and facial movements of the speaker is just a part of the lipreading process. What other skills do we need to use in order to make sense of what is seen? In your pairs make a list of other skills you think are needed to lipread.

The circle of lipreading skills Movements of lips/tongue/jaw/ teeth/throat Facial expressions and body language Memory of sounds Knowledge of language and vocabulary Information processing speed Context Working memory capacity Residual hearing Rhythm/phrasing/ intonation Inference making =mental tie-up of information

Facial expressions and body language

Can you read the emotion from someone’s face? I’m going to give you a list words that describe a feeling/mood/emotion. With the person/people next to you, take in turns to pick an emotion from the list and use gesture, body language and facial expression to convey it. They don’t have to guess the exact word - if they guess the right sort of emotion, that’s fine.

Pick from the list (random order) No voice, mouthing, fingerspelling or signing allowed!! 1.excited 6. surprised 11. feeling guilty 2. shy 7. disappointed 12. happy 3. sad 8. irritated 13. frightened 4. nervous 9. relieved 14. furious 5. bored 10. confused

Using your brain -processing and decoding skills

Filling in the gaps with something logical by………. Using knowledge of language, vocabulary, context, mental linking of ideas Using your understanding of the situation and previous experience to know what makes sense

Previous experience “I’ve left the pushchair on the path.”

Previous experience “I’ve left the butcher in the bath!”

Mental link up of information = filling in the gaps by…. putting 2 and 2 together developing the ability to back track to fill in gaps, as well as to anticipate E.g. … I’m going to the …………to pick up my new ………. I’m going to the ………… to pick up a ………….. I’m going to the ……. ………… to get some ……

Using context to lipread You have a list of words that are related to each other e.g. they could all be types of sport. Mouth the words one by one to your partner(s) WITHOUT any voice. DON’T tell them what the subject is – just let them have a go with no clues. Your partner tells you what they think you’ve said - even if it looks odd - and jots it down. Now mouth the list without voice again – this time tell your partner what the link is before you start – how do they do this time?

Accessing our mental lexicon

You will be easier to lipread by….. making sure the lipreader knows the subject you are talking about - tell them when the topic of conversation changes. This will really help them narrow down the options and give their brain a chance to pick the right word.

Using our working memory the part of short-term memory which is concerned with immediate linguistic processing a continuous process of integrating context with incoming visual information holding on to what’s been seen and being able to quickly interpret it differently in the light of new information. People who keep their brains active are quicker at processing and so are usually better lipreaders

Linking auditory and visual information

Combining what you see with what you hear Using any residual hearing - pick up some sounds - pick up the rhythm I went to the shops and I bought a paper - pick up the key words - stimulate the neural pathways that respond to speech sounds

You will be easier to lipread by….. not exaggerating - keep your speech natural – it helps to keep the natural rhythm not shouting – it distorts your lip patterns and makes the lipreader panic

What does the lipreader need from the partnership? What else does the lipreader need from the other person to make lipreading possible and easier ? In your pairs, make a list of any other factors which would help someone to lipread more easily. Compare your list with the other pair when you have finished.

The ‘partnership’ Willingness to communicate Get the lipreader’s attention first Good acoustics (reduce background noise) Light on speaker’s face Speak one at a time – indicate who is speaking Clear speech Natural rhythm of speech Don’t turn head away No eating, smoking, Lack of visual distractions Suitable distance (4-6 feet) and same height if possible Pause occasionally – let them process it and catch up

City Lit lipreading students talking about what helps - or not… nQv14

Have a go…. Go round to everyone in turn Choose a random question from the list and say it without voice to the person They’ll try to tell you which number it is

Task In your pairs: Pick one skill each and explain how it helps lipreading