This made me thing of another question if someone was born deaf but if you attached a device that would have a mic with an amplifier and a transducer that touched the skin so they could feel the vibration frequency changes based on sound. Could they develop a new way of hearing sounds? Could they learn to speak?
Deaf people already may learn to speak without that through speech therapy, although for most it’s not their preferred method of communication.
I don’t know how it’s changed in the modern day because the people I know who went through it as kids did it like 30 years ago, but it used to be common to hold a balloon against the throat while speaking to feel the different sounds you’re making.
Almost certainly not. Touch is really just geared to detecting the presence or absence of vibration. I'd be surprised if you could get a double digit set of waveforms which could be reliably distinguished, let alone the endless combinations that make up normal hearing.
There's an ~100% chance Helen Keller got asked about this. Uh, yep, although I don't recognise the source and can't guarantee it's not fake or AI slop. The format would be new for slop, at least - the actual fact is in image form, there's a comment section and it's dated over a decade ago.
If someone had a copy of her autobiography they could look for the passage to verify, but I don't.
7 Comments
Jimius@lemmy.ml · 19 pts · 1y
lordnikon@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1y
This made me thing of another question if someone was born deaf but if you attached a device that would have a mic with an amplifier and a transducer that touched the skin so they could feel the vibration frequency changes based on sound. Could they develop a new way of hearing sounds? Could they learn to speak?
Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 1y
Deaf people already may learn to speak without that through speech therapy, although for most it’s not their preferred method of communication.
I don’t know how it’s changed in the modern day because the people I know who went through it as kids did it like 30 years ago, but it used to be common to hold a balloon against the throat while speaking to feel the different sounds you’re making.
CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org · 4 pts · 1y
Vibration receptors can't distinguish frequencies well enough. Cochlear implants exist, though, and work by directly exciting the auditory nerve.
lordnikon@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y
Yeah I know it doesn't have the resolution of ear drums and the implant is going to better but I wonder if someone can adapt to that lower resolution
CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org · 2 pts · 1y
Almost certainly not. Touch is really just geared to detecting the presence or absence of vibration. I'd be surprised if you could get a double digit set of waveforms which could be reliably distinguished, let alone the endless combinations that make up normal hearing.
lordnikon@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y
Interesting thank you for answering my question
CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org · 4 pts · 1y
There's an ~100% chance Helen Keller got asked about this. Uh, yep, although I don't recognise the source and can't guarantee it's not fake or AI slop. The format would be new for slop, at least - the actual fact is in image form, there's a comment section and it's dated over a decade ago.
If someone had a copy of her autobiography they could look for the passage to verify, but I don't.