Both auding and speaking are special cases of the more general process of "languaging," which is the process of communicating ideas by using properly ordered sequences of signs for the representation of mental conceptualizations (which are derived from the cognitive content and processes), or the inverse process of understanding the conceptualizations underlying the sequences of signs produced by others in communicating.

One significance of the foregoing analysis is that it makes clear the need, when assessing auding ability, of distinguishing factors that affect listening and hence auding test performance, from languaging factors that affect auding test performance. For instance, while both the temporal brevity of a speech display and/or limitations of vocabulary may reduce the amount of information gained during auding, temporal brevity is a factor which affects both listening and auding and hence information gain, while the vocabulary problem sets languaging limits and hence reduces information gain by auding. Auding is thus understood to be the ability to language under the constraints of factors affecting listening. Presumably this is the ability isolated by Spearritt (1961) and labeled "comprehension of meaningful verbal passages presented in spoken form."

In Figure 1, the development of languaging is placed between the environment and the cognitive system; it is viewed as serving as one (but not the only) link between the child's cognitive system and the environment. Note that the environment is divided into stages, since, as the child progresses through the stages of cognitive and linguistic development, the nature of the functional environment (the environment as it interacts with the child) also changes. As the child develops the ability to language, he becomes more able to communicate his thoughts, knowledge, desires, and so on, and to understand those of others. Language ability may also assist the cognitive processes themselves; one may both store information and think about it (process it) by using language in some internalized form.

The use of the term "languaging" is helpful in avoiding certain confusions which may arise when discussing reading. An example of such confusion is in Liberman's discussion about relations between speech and reading (Kavanagh, 1968, pp.119-141), in which he describes reading as being "parasitic on speech." Furth (1970, p. 130) asks whether Liberman means "speech" or "language," and Liberman responds "language." Furth then goes on to explain how deaf children can acquire language by visual spelling, and some may learn to read, even though they do not generally acquire speech.