Multidisciplinary Explanation of the Reading Voice as a Medium: Challenge to Family Media Literacy

Abstract

This paper addresses the gaps in knowledge about the unique energetics of the reading voice in its role as medium for the development of stalwart future readers. We take into consideration Maryanne Wolf’s warning about the special need for “fostering” readers due to the fact that reading is “unnatural”. The purpose of this study is to identify the position of reading aloud as a basic media practice in parenting strategies dedicated to cultivating future readers in order to give proof of the energetics of human voice as a communication medium. Main problem: This study is committed to finding a solution to a specific scientific problem: could the media modality of the environment involving reading aloud to a baby from birth to be the crucial factor for developing unfailing future readers? Methodology/approach: The multidisciplinary reading research analyzes the outcomes of quantitative sociological method involving a 32-item survey which assesses the level of awareness and perceptions of parent-child reading among 71 families in Bulgaria. The analysis focused on parental attitudes towards pre-reading skills before the child learned to read in the conventional sense. Findings: The quantitative and qualitative findings revealed patterns of practice, barriers, and accelerators aimed at developing reader home environment. The study demonstrates that the reading voice adds unique energetics to the parent-baby environment by elevating it with non-verbal rhetoric as well as maintaining it in mode of attention and affectionate sound register. Originality/value: From a new perspective, the paper looks at the role of the human voice as medium of unique energetics for family communication. The authors provide a new definition of acoustic reading as physiologized and book-mediated audio communication. Implications: Overall, the paper strives to stimulate a discussion about re-examining the contribution of the voice as medium. These findings can inform decision-making to improve family literacy on the protection of children’s key right to a highly energetic cognitive environment that nurtures avid readers.