In school, very early, we learn to read by sounding things out. But then, because reading out loud in a classroom of 30 kids would be unworkable, we are taught to sound things out silently which leads to silent reading. I think silent reading is preferred just because it's a must in the educational environment. But when you're home, why not read aloud if it makes more sense to you? If I'm puzzling out an emotional passage, I'll read it out loud, playing with different emotional emphasis to see what feels right or what else I might discover if I read it differently.