Words Without Voice: How Lack of Auditory Support Affects English Diction in Young Learners

This research serves the purpose of scrutinizing how an overemphasis on reading, without similar complementary auditory exposure, affects English diction in children aged 5–16. Overemphasis on reading can hinder balanced language development by neglecting oral and auditory skills, which are essential for real-time communication and fluency (Mahmood, 2022; British Institute, 2024). Drawing from developmental linguistics, speech therapy, and educational psychology, this study examines what kind of pronunciation errors can occur and how it links to lack of auditory exposure along with challenges with fluency in speech in everyday life. It also takes a step towards the analyses of the cognitive impact of limited listening. It showcases the impact of early childhood intervention and challenges in pronunciation accuracy which occur with reading only learning. Lastly, this paper advocates for a well-balanced approach to language education. It speaks about learning by integrating both reading and listening in educational settings to promote confidence and deeper understanding of the English language while increasing the ease with which children speak and go on to express themselves.