2 replies to this topic

[Joe-Kerr]

One thing that's always bugged me are the hearing aids Shouko wears at the beginning.

 

We're never specifically told just how bad her hearing loss is, but it is heavily implied that if it isn't complete it's very close to 100%.

 

So what would the point of giving hearing aids to a completely deaf person. Way I see it, hearing aids are only useful to people with partial hearing disability. Shouko seems completely deaf so they would be pretty useless on her. Are they merely a covenient plot device to illustrate the bullying she goes through?

[storyshares]

it is heavily implied that if it isn't complete it's very close to 100%

 

Quite the opposite. It was said twice that hearing aids help her to hear, and it was implied that she can hear loud voices.

[MangaisGood]

A deaf person can hear loud voices but without hearing aids they will sound very muffled & wuffly as if spoken through a thick wall. The hearing aids will accentuate some of the sibilance and harden the edges / ends of sounds. They will also amplify those sounds that were too low volume to be heard without the aids.

 

The real measure is that Shouko speaks as she hears (as do all of us if we don't consciously enunciate). There are a few examples of her speaking aloud which illustrate she gets at least the main sounds but muffles them as she is unaware of the nuances. Must be difficult with spoken Japanese where they don't stress any one syllable over another in a word.

 

Shouko is obviously profoundly, but not totally, deaf.

 

SAFETY MOMENT!! Do protect your hearing when you're young. As an adult, nothing bums me out like not being able to enjoy music in its fullness any more.