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Speaking backwards: language back to front

Almost everyone has at some point thought about what their name would sound like if one were to say it backwards. But what does it mean to speak "backwards"? Simply reversing the order of letters, reading them from right to left? Or reversing all speech sounds so that if one were to record the backwards speech and reverse the audio, it would sound right again? The latter is a skill that Bernhard Wolff, for instance, has mastered (website) and with which he has fascinated a great many people. The ability to speak backwards is very fascinating indeed.

  • Current state of research

    So far, there is a limited amount of research looking at reversed speech. The following list contains the most important publications:
    – Black, J. W. (1973). The “Phonemic” Content of Backward-Reproduced Speech. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 16(2), 165-174.
    – Brown, E. C., Muzik, O., Rothermel, R., Matsuzaki, N., Juhász, C., Shah, A. K., et al. (2012). Evaluating reverse speech as a control task with language-related gamma activity on electrocorticography. NeuroImage, 60(4), 2335-2345.
    – Cocchi, R., Pola, M., Sellerini, M., Tosaca, P., & Zerbi, F. (1986). Mirror speaking after neurosurgery. A case history. Acta neurologica Belgica, 86(4), 224-232.
    – Cowan, N., Braine, M. D. S., & Leavitt, L. A. (1985). The phonological and metaphonological representation of speech: Evidence from fluent backward talkers. Journal of Memory and Language, 24(6), 679-698.
    – Cowan, N., & Leavitt, L. A. (1982). Talking backward: exceptional speech play in late childhood*. Journal of Child Language, 9(2), 481-495.
    – Cowan, N., Leavitt, L. A., Massaro, D. W., & Kent, R. D. (1982). A Fluent Backward Talker. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 25(1), 48-53.
    – Jokel, R., & Conn, D. (1999). Case Study: Mirror reading, writing and backward speech in a woman with a head injury: a case of conversion disorder. Aphasiology, 13(6), 495-509.
    – Jungclaus, A. (2002). Rückwärtssprechen. Norderstedt: Diplom.DE.
    – Kellogg, E. W. (1939). Reversed Speech. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 10(4), 324-326.
    – Kreiner, D. S., Altis, N. A., & Voss, C. W. (2003). A Test of the Effect of Reverse Speech on Priming. The Journal of Psychology, 137(3), 224-232.
    – Prekovic, S., Đurđević, D. F., Csifcsák, G., Šveljo, O., Stojković, O., Janković, M., et al. (2016). Multidisciplinary investigation links backward-speech trait and working memory through genetic mutation. Scientific Reports, 6(1), 20369.
    – Rami, M. K., & Diederich, E. (2005). Effect of reading with reversed speech on frequency of stuttering in adults. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 100(2), 387-393.
    – Roverud, E., Bradlow, A. R., & Kidd, G. (2020). Examining the sentence superiority effect for sentences presented and reported in forwards or backwards order. Applied Psycholinguistics, 41(2), 381-400.
    – Saberi, K., & Perrott, D. R. (1999). Cognitive restoration of reversed speech. Nature, 398(6730), 760-760.
    – Segawa, J., Masapollo, M., Tong, M., Smith, D. J., & Guenther, F. H. (2019). Chunking of phonological units in speech sequencing. Brain and Language, 195, 104636.
    – Torres-Prioris, M. J., López-Barroso, D., Càmara, E., Fittipaldi, S., Sedeño, L., Ibáñez, A., et al. (2020). Neurocognitive signatures of phonemic sequencing in expert backward speakers. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 10621.

FAQs reversed speech

Can everyone speak backwards?

Theoretically, yes. Reading and saying short words backwards is a skill that can be learned. It becomes harder once you look at longer words and sentences. Most people who call themselves a backwards speaker can say single words backwards and the experts - such as Berhard Wolff - can do the same with entire sentences. As in every domain, practice makes perfekt. People who are fluent in reversed speech, including new words and sentences, need to have practised their skill.

Where does the aptitude come from?

There are two theories as to what is needed for this particular skill: a very good working memory and/or very pronounced linguistic consciousness.
Working memory refers to how many entities a person can memorise and arrange in the reversed order. A common way to test this is to present people with a phone number, figure by figure, and ask them to repeat them in the reversed order. Most people can manage 8 to 9 figures, it gets tricky once there are more.
Linguistic consciousness refers to whether a person has an intuitive understanding for sounds of speech and the relation between letters and sounds.

Since when have people been speaking backwards?

It seems that there have been people who are able to speak backwards for a long time. Evidence can be found in literature from the late 19th century. Scripts provide even earlier hints as backward speaking is always facilitated by written language. At least some languages have made use of reversed written language, particularly in the case of enchantments or spells meant to conjure ghosts or gods.

Is reversed speech a secret language?

Reversed speech can serve as a secret language. It is a fairly easy way to produce a secret language as it is clear how exactly the words are produced: from back to front. It can, however, be done word-by-word or with whole sentences at a time. Therefore, there are several possibilities for the implementation of reversed speech as a secret language. Groups can use it to exchange information without others being able to decode them. And of course, children that do not want to be understood by their parents immediately come to mind.

How many people in Germany are able to speak backwards?

This is a tough question to answer. During the last few years, we have heard of more than 100 people who are very accomplished in reversed speech. However, since everyone can theoretically learn it, we can only give this as an estimation.

Why is this skill so interesting from a scientific point of view?

It is interesting from a theoretical linguistic perspective since the question arises as to what the components of a language are. Words? Sounds? It is also interesting because it can help to answer the question of which units are most suitable for automatic voice recognition softwares.

Does the skill have anything to do with a photographic memory?

It seems very likely. People who can speak backwards have a very good and sometimes even photographic memory for words and their constitution of speech sounds.

Is speaking backwards detrimental or even dangerous?

No! At best, it can become very annoying if you start so say everything you hear backwards. The only detriment is that it would be hard for others to understand you. Fun fact: The abilty to speak backwards does not correlate with the ability to understand backwards speech!

When do people start to speak backwards?

Theoretically, the ability to speak backwards starts with the regular acquisition of speech. Quite often, people become conscious of their ability when they learn to read and write. At this age (between 5 and 8), a lot of children are very creative. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise when children 'experiment' with writing and talking backwards.

What marks a good and fluent speaker of reversed language?

While there are no extensive studies on this subject, there are a few investigating smaller groups. Those people are all characterised by considerable linguistic consciousness, a creative use of language, and a certain curiosity. The creative use of language can be supported by a good working memory. A small study conducted in Marburg has shown that the groups of backwards speakers is a very heterogenous one with people across all ages and genders. It seems that there are no strong correlations with other (extralinguistic) cognitive skills. It is obvious that it takes not only a certain aptitude but also practice to reach a level of skill such as Bernhard Wolff's.