Ahem...

[Xanatos]

WHY DOES SHE MAKE SOUNDS IF SHE'S DEAF?

Also, whoever at 4LS drew Shizune's expression here is a god.

[Nobody in Particular]

You're completely right, because as science will tell you it is impossible for deaf people to breathe, or for that matter use their lungs to create any form of sound.

[random]

what does her deafness have to do with her perfectly functioning everything else?

[Helbereth]

Take a deep breath.

Now let it out slowly.

Let me know if you hear anything.

[Xanatos]

You're completely right, because as science will tell you it is impossible for deaf people to breathe, or for that matter use their lungs to create any form of sound.

Aaaaand WHOOSH! Right over your head.

But seriously, isn't she mute as well? Just a few scenes before, she was "laughing" without a sound.

[random]

she's mute because she's deaf, not because her vocal chord doesn't work

[Nobody in Particular]

You're completely right, because as science will tell you it is impossible for deaf people to breathe, or for that matter use their lungs to create any form of sound.

Aaaaand WHOOSH! Right over your head.

But seriously, isn't she mute as well? Just a few scenes before, she was "laughing" without a sound.

I'm a firm believer of ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer. I was fully aware that you were joking, hence why I didn't say something seriously like random did.

So yeah, right back at ya buddy.

[Xanatos]

she's mute because she's deaf, not because her vocal chord doesn't work

...I don't get it. Is talking a problem for the deaf? I've never known any deaf people...

[ShinigamiKenji]

she's mute because she's deaf, not because her vocal chord doesn't work

...I don't get it. Is talking a problem for the deaf? I've never known any deaf people...

I don't know any too, but as far as I can tell, most of them are mute simply because they never learned how to talk. More or less like not knowing how to read won't let you know how to write (of course, if you aren't blind like Lilly). Some deaf people, however, learn how to speak (though I think it must not be the a smooth pronounciation).

But I think she can sigh loudly and make sounds. She also moans in the H-scene, if I'm not wrong. But still funny (even more with that face).

[RecoiL]

Alright... breathe slowly... not gonna troll... not gonna...
whooh...

Ok, let me lay down my opinion.
As confirmed by Aura in the Ask! thread, Shizune is in fact mute. Don't know if that means she isn't physically able to speak, or she simply doesn't want to because her lack of hearing will severely limit her ability to do so. (After all, her dad did hire tutors to teach her, so I will assume this is the case)

Now, if this is the case, Shizune doesn't make sounds, as well as laughs simply because she doesn't want to, which is understandable given the conditions. However slips can happen. For all I know, maybe she doesn't want to laugh simply because she doesn't know how she's doing it, and she would dread doing it "wrong".(I'm not really sure about it, but I think at one point you hear her laugh or something, I don't remember. Could be wrong though.)

Even if this is not the case, and in fact she is completely physically unable to use her vocal cords, which I find pretty darn unlikely, you can still make a bunch of sounds using nothing but your lungs and/or other organs in your respiratory system, including sighing.

Take a deep breath.
Now let it out slowly.
Let me know if you hear anything.

To put it simply.

[Xanatos]

she's mute because she's deaf, not because her vocal chord doesn't work

...I don't get it. Is talking a problem for the deaf? I've never known any deaf people...

I don't know any too, but as far as I can tell, most of them are mute simply because they never learned how to talk. More or less like not knowing how to read won't let you know how to write (of course, if you aren't blind like Lilly). Some deaf people, however, learn how to speak (though I think it must not be the a smooth pronounciation).

But I think she can sigh loudly and make sounds. She also moans in the H-scene, if I'm not wrong. But still funny (even more with that face).

Ah. Yay, learning!~ Learning with Kenji though...Not sure if yay.

[minkus]

As everyone has said, being deaf makes it harder for people (especially from birth) to talk.

I do believe Jigoro even mentions this at some point, he hired tutors or speech therapy, but Shizune was either unable to fully speak or didn't want too.

A great example for me is in There Will Be Blood the little boy is rendered deaf by an explosion. Later he is seen with an ASL interpreter, but he also chooses to speak.

[ShinigamiKenji]

Lots of quotes here

Ah. Yay, learning!~ Learning with Kenji though...Not sure if yay.

[Pyramid Head]

On the whole thing about her being mute, it's never explicitly stated she is physically incapable of speech because of say... vocal cord damage due to it being an ear and throat infection that cost her her sense of hearing, it's more likely she never learned how to speak but could given enough time and training. As for her not being able to make a sound... well you know that is a bullshit claim because in several points not just in her arc but in a couple of others it's noted that some of her actions make an unusual amount of noise, like when she's cracking her knuckles or snapping her fingers.

[Helbereth]

On the whole thing about her being mute, it's never explicitly stated she is physically incapable of speech because of say... vocal cord damage due to it being an ear and throat infection that cost her her sense of hearing, it's more likely she never learned how to speak but could given enough time and training. As for her not being able to make a sound... well you know that is a bullshit claim because in several points not just in her arc but in a couple of others it's noted that some of her actions make an unusual amount of noise, like when she's cracking her knuckles or snapping her fingers.

To be fair, they're talking about sounds from her mouth, not her fingers or knuckles.

You don't need vocal cords to moan, sigh, or even whistle because they don't use the vocal cords so much as the tongue, lips, aperture of the mouth and the passage of air - like any wind-instrument. The problem is that she can't hear herself making them, which can make controlling them very difficult. Ask a singer about not being able to hear yourself over the din of the music, and they'll explain; it can cause even the most pitch-perfect singer to sound awful. That's why in a lot of stage shows, the singer will actually wear an earplug or block one of their ears - so they don't lose their own voice. In Shizune's case, she can't hear it at all, and would likely be embarrassed or frustrated if she wasn't doing it right, so she avoids making noises - even laughing.