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Original poster

How weird is my daughter's skill?

127 replies

IndiganDop · 28/05/2023 16:14

My 12 year old can reverse any sentence instantly, phonetically, so if you play what she says in reverse it sounds like the actual sentence
(So not like saying "enoph" for phone, she would say something that sounds a bit like "newoff")

She has just recorded the entire song "how bad can it be" from the Lorax backwards phonetically, without reading from anything. She says she can just do it. When she then reverses the recording it is recognisably the words.

How is she doing this? Is it a utilisable skill in any way or completely pointless?

OP posts:
Ketzele · 28/05/2023 22:11

Fascinating! When I was a child I used to compulsively (but silently) grab phrases I heard and either code them as music (and play it on an invisible piano) or add up all the letters, divide them evenly, and create new words.

I grew out of it eventually!

frockhopper · 28/05/2023 22:12

Oh there’s a guy that can do that on Instagram. He sings entire songs backwards and then plays them forwards again and they sound spookily accurate. I’m sure he practices but maybe this is how he started 😂

SpikeOfAnnoyance · 28/05/2023 22:13

An amazing skill. I wonder if the skill involved in doing what she does can be used for something useful further down the line in terms of a job. I wonder what it can be applied to.

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12 year olds
dropthevipers · 28/05/2023 22:13

think you might need an exorcist.

Rinkydinkydoodle · 28/05/2023 22:14

My uncle can sing several songs backwards, sounds like he’s speaking in tongues. Very cool party-piece. He’s a session guitarist so there might be something to the musical connection, perhaps it’s super-active or developed in the same part of the brain or whatever. I’d love to hear your DD, this sounds wild.

Veryverycalmnow · 28/05/2023 22:16

Wow, I just watched your YouTube clip and she is really quick at 'translating' them into reverse talk. It's incredible.

dwightschrutebeets · 28/05/2023 22:17

That is incredible!!

MedievalMadness · 28/05/2023 22:17

Oh wow! I can do that too and have never come across anyone else who could do it OP. I can also write the same sentence with both hands at the same time - one from left to right and the other from right to left. I am a whizz with language and writing, but as good as I am with words , I am beyond atrocious at anything to do with numbers, spacial awareness, directions etc. I’d say my maths is KS1 level. I can’t see patterns in numbers or manipulate or make sense of them in any logical or meaningful way. I add and subtract using my fingers.

I can have a really good stab at playing any piece of music by ear and get a tune out lots of instruments (apart from brass ). I passed Grade 8 violin and am a very good at sight-reading. Huge problems with keeping to the right time and playing at a consistent rhythm though. I think we are probably either aliens or witches OP, or have some slightly unusual wiring of neural pathways. Here’s to your DD and everyone else with strange skills.

Mummapenguin20 · 28/05/2023 22:19

Wow

Original poster
IndiganDop · 28/05/2023 22:20

Rinkydinkydoodle · 28/05/2023 22:14

My uncle can sing several songs backwards, sounds like he’s speaking in tongues. Very cool party-piece. He’s a session guitarist so there might be something to the musical connection, perhaps it’s super-active or developed in the same part of the brain or whatever. I’d love to hear your DD, this sounds wild.

There's a YouTube clip on page 2. Took me longer to think of the sentences than it took her to reverse them!

OP posts:
MedievalMadness · 28/05/2023 22:22

No way can I reverse sentences as fast as your DD though OP. She is doing it so quickly 😳

rivercobbler · 28/05/2023 22:23

That is truly incredible and astonishing. Wow.

MillicentTrilbyHiggins · 28/05/2023 22:25

That's amazing!

Twinsmummy1812 · 28/05/2023 22:25

That’s super weird and impressive. Also sounds super spooky!

sociallydistained · 28/05/2023 22:25

I think she could be a tiktok sensation for sure 🙈

Whatyoutalkingabouteh · 28/05/2023 22:26

Amazing!

ThreeRingCircus · 28/05/2023 22:27

She is so fast at doing it. Very cool!

Rinkydinkydoodle · 28/05/2023 22:27

@IndiganDop

what a skill!

C1N1C · 28/05/2023 22:27

I remember seeing that on The Big Breakfast when I was younger. Anyone else remember that?

It was cool, but still left me with a "yeah, and?" sort of feeling...

TwoFluffyDogsOnMyBed · 28/05/2023 22:28

A YouTube channel could be a good idea. My DS’s friend had a channel with over 1 million subscribers at age 14. You’d obviously have to supervise because of the awful comments most of the creators have to deal with but there’s still a lot of money to be made on YouTube.

PriamFarrl · 28/05/2023 22:29

There used to be a guy on The Adventure Game back in the 80s who did that. All I remember is that he would say ‘doogy rev’.

anon12093 · 28/05/2023 22:33

My son can do this. Never seen/heard of anyone else being able to do this.

Is your dd musical? My son is. Also autistic.

ManchesterGirl2 · 28/05/2023 22:34

Wow!

Sux2buthen · 28/05/2023 22:34

I had to untrain my brain from working things out backwards. It became a fixation, I couldn't have a conversation without working out what someone had said to me fully in reverse before I answered. I am very fast but I don't let myself do it, it became a compulsion. Occasionally I catch myself doing it and force myself not to

MrsRinaDecker · 28/05/2023 22:38

Not to the extent of your dd, but I can do it a little bit.. also anagrams / making words out of other words (so waking = am / king, words = sword and so on) and also playing around with numbers. I’m pretty good at TV quiz shows lol and I could always guess correctly on wheel of fortune on the first spin!