I’ve been reading the Realm of the Elderlings audiobooks for the past few months, and I am truly obsessed.

No, your eyes do not deceive you. I read an audiobook over the weekend, and in fact, I read audiobooks all of the time.

Preface to the following discussion:
I am not trying to start a whole listening vs. visualization, audiobook vs. physical vs. e-book debate. It’s tired and worn out. Instead, I’d actually like to point out that the conversation at large, at this point, is an opportunity for us to see language evolving.

First, let’s start off with the word “READ”. Merriam Webster has 15 varying definitions of the word. For our purposes, however, let’s focus on the following three.

1.  To receive or take in the sense of (letters, symbols, etc.), especially by sight or touch

2.  To learn from what one has seen or found in writing or printing

3.  To become acquainted with or look over the contents of (something, such as a book)

All three of these definitions have something in common. To read is to take in information. Definition #1 even specifies by sight or touch. I believe that it’s time we finally add listening as well, given that it is the oldest form of learning and conveying both stories and information, primarily because reading visually is rather new for the masses as a whole.

For thousands of years, most of the general population of the world was not able to “read” visually, as it required education. Education was (and still can be) expensive. Access to and education were reserved for the wealthy and privileged, not just because of cost, but it also helped the wealthy to keep their power and hold over the working class. Many communities relied on oral recitations and tellings to convey both histories and stories. Elders and poets were responsible for holding these memories and stories and conveying them to their neighbors and community. One example is the griots, from West Africa, who served their communities as oral historians, musicians, and poets, preserving important information that had been passed down for years.

Oral recitations were not the only form of holding knowledge, though. The Incas used knotted yarn or string, called khipus, as their main form of keeping records and holding knowledge. Recently, new information has come to light on the subject, showing that this form of record keeping was not strictly reserved for elite members of society, but that it was also practiced by “commoners” as well.

“Reading” in much of the world, however, did not become common in the general population until the 19th century and even then, it depended on where you lived in the world and the resources available to you in obtaining an education. For example, serfs in 19th-century Russia were not being taught to read as their noble rulers did not deem the literacy of a working population as important (Catherine the Great did, but she famously had a difficult time modernizing her court). Additionally, in the American South, anti-literacy laws existed, preventing and excluding the black population from access to literacy. These populations relied on other forms of sharing knowledge.

Imparting knowledge through oral recitation is the original form of learning.

Audiobooks are not “new” yet our culture often treats them as inferior to physical books (or e-readers). Audiobook’s are books. “Book” is literally in the name. We “read” books whether that is through sight, touch, OR sound.

Technology rapidly progressed in the early 1900’s, and books were able to be recorded. The first “audio-book” appeared in 1932 , when it was recorded at The American Foundation for the Blind. Recordings of books were pressed on vinyl records, and each vinyl side was only able to hold 15 minutes of audio. Audio books were created to offer accessible avenues to reading, providing access to stories, history, and other forms of literature for the disabled, elderly, and more.  (The first records weren’t actually for music, but for audiobooks!)

Audiobooks became much more commonplace for the general population’s use in the mid-1990s, with readers’ being able to download their audiobook files onto computers or CD’s that you could play in the car. I remember that two of the first audiobooks I listened to as a kid during car rides were At the Back of the North Wind, by George MacDonald, and Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, so my love-affair with them has been ongoing for well over two decades. Not to mention that listening and reading them now allowx me to work with my hands (knitting) without having to sacrifice one of my other favorite hobbies and pastimes.

Hopefully, if you have read this far, you will see that audiobooks aren’t a new way of relaying information. They revert to the original form of storytelling and education of our ancestors, and its language that hasn’t quite caught up to match culure.

The next time someone says they are reading and they are talking about an audiobook, just think about how you are able to witness language change and evolve in front of your eyes. The cool thing about language is that it grows to encompass the needs of society. Well, at this point, its long past due for the word read to encompass another form of obtaining information. Our society has evolved to include technology that allows for the relaying of information through recorded audio. It’s not too often you get to see language change in front of your eyes beyond the use of slang.