The term "hypersensitivity" in audiology is ambiguous because it can indicate two different phenomena: unusually keen hearing and adverse reaction to sound. Unless qualified in some way, how does one know what is meant when a patient is described as having hypersensitivity? Ideally, there should be two separate words.
My discomfort with the mix of terms and meanings was raised enough to write this letter in part by an article, "Incidence of Responses at the Lower Audiometric Limits" by Chris Halpin in the American Journal of Audiology (Dec. 2007, pp. 96–99) discussing hypersensitivity as in very keen hearing. That was followed by attending a talk on hypersensitivity, as in aversion, as well as a book review of "hyperacusis" on sound intolerance.
In vision the word for abnormal intolerance or aversion to light is "photophobia." Then why not "phonophobia?" The drawback is that "phono" has more the flavor of voice or speech sounds (as in phonetics), not sound in general. There is a classical root that has the single meaning of sound: Latin "sono."
A possible solution would be to reserve "hypersensitivity" for unusually good hearing, although maybe another word might be even better. For the aversive sense, I offer "sonophobia." Maybe there is no need for a Greco-Roman term at all, and we should just refer to the phenomenon as abnormal sound intolerance or some similar phrase. Whatever the solution, it would be good to eliminate the ambiguity of "hypersensitivity."
Jim Peck
Jackson, Mississippi
jepec1em@bellsouth.net