Monday, April 4, 2016

Hearing but not Understanding

I just heard a conversation drift over the walls of my cube. I could identify the speakers, I could recognize their voices, but I couldn't understand it. It was as if I couldn't parse spoken English. What was actually happening was that, in between the noise level of the fan in my cube, the sound insulation in the cube partitions, and the low level of the conversation to begin with, I just couldn't make it out.

But then how was it that I was able to identify the voices and put names to them, when I couldn't parse them? It means that at some level, identifying voices is easier and more noise-resistant than picking words out.

Or it means that the spoken English section of my brain is broken. I have neither spoken nor heard anyone speak since then, a few minutes ago.