After awhile, the brain learns how to interpret it. It's like going to Nepal and trying to understand Nepali. Gradually, you become accustomed to the sounds until they make sense. While the device does not completely restore hearing, it does allow people to hear medium and soft level sounds, providing the shape of speech. It's hard to conceive of sound having a shape, but it does, said Gates.
Words have a certain length and inflection.
Sometimes our voice goes up, sometimes it goes down. The stress might be on the first syllable or the second. All of these prosodic elements of speech are maintained by the implant. About 10 percent of patients regain enough hearing to talk over the phone. Most gain sound awareness, such as knowing when a door is slamming or a dog is barking.