consciousness & multiple languages... a few ?s.

[syn]

Curiousity compels me again...

For those with more than one language,

Are your thoughts consciously in one language more than another?

Is it different than the language you use the most?

When you're writing or speaking, do you mix words from other languages or are you always conscious about the language you're communicating in?

---

With my thoughts I'm usually not too conscious with what language they're in. Though when communicating with other people, I have several internal translation moments, even when we're speaking in english. I mean, it's not simply about translation... because I've had conversations where I am speaking in one language and somebody else is speaking in another -- which I rather love doing at coffee houses and other places.

[juancarlos]

My thoughts and dreams are in English now, the language I use every day. I only mix words when I'm tired.

I'm beginning to forget my Tagalog vocabulary and can only speak it now with an accent. Sad really! When I speak Spanish, I sometimes have to do the "head translation", which of course slows me down.

[Vietmunde]

My thoughts are in English too, but I frequently have dreams in Spanish.

[Shock]

Every consiousness has its own language. I think in human languages only when i've to speak.

[freakshow]

I always mix it up. My wife is Spanish and we speak Spanish at home, yet I grew up speaking English. Sometimes I count in Spanish, things like that, but when I get passionate about something -- interpret that how you will -- it always comes out in English. Actually in Spanglish sometimes too.

[catgirl]

I think it depends on the impact the language has on your life, and how mouch knowledge you have of it. And the environment!

I usually think conciously in Norwegian (most of the time) but when I dream its often in a mixture of English + Norwegian (bilingual).

When I lived in France I stopped thinking in Norwegian and only thought in French (or sometimes English).

I had problems shifting between French and Norwegian when I got back home, for some reason. But the English I always can sort out from all the other languages I know. Either because it just sounds very different from the other 2 or because its my first language? hmmmm.

[Soren]

Usually I don't "think" in a human language, most of the time, it's just like in a silent movie (no heroic drums in the background when I slay princesses and rescue dragons) .

My dreams are often in German and English, it's some kind of mixture, I use the coolest sounding word from every language

[Subuatai]

Most of the time in English, language I use everyday in Australia.

Though last night's dream seemed to be more silent, dreaming I had a blood wound on the side of my face and couldn't heal it

[Shock]

I think in ultrasounds, the only problem is that i cannot hear myself :X

[catgirl]

Usually the thoughts are not in a language, but rather images most of the time.

But I think we must think in languages sometimes to formulate sentences etc ;D

[davidbleo]

Well, my mother language is spanish... but now that I'm working for a taiwanese man who doesn't speak spanish at all... I communicate with him in english and sometimes in mandarin. And now when I'm in the warehouse doing inventories and stuff I sometimes think and count things in english. I'd like to think in chinese sometimes, but my chinese isn't that good yet.

Also, when I was in Germany, some years ago... I didn't need to think before to speak in german, right now I've to search in the rustiest parts of my brain to find words! =(

On another side, as Catgirl said... some toughts are not in any language... I have the idea first and then I translate it into a language in order to communicate it. So, the mind works in a more abstract and faster way, than spoken language.

[Emily]

Nov 11, 2008 13:43:19 GMT -5 @syn said:

Curiousity compels me again...

For those with more than one language,

Are your thoughts consciously in one language more than another?

Is it different than the language you use the most?

When you're writing or speaking, do you mix words from other languages or are you always conscious about the language you're communicating in?

---

With my thoughts I'm usually not too conscious with what language they're in. Though when communicating with other people, I have several internal translation moments, even when we're speaking in english. I mean, it's not simply about translation... because I've had conversations where I am speaking in one language and somebody else is speaking in another -- which I rather love doing at coffee houses and other places.

I'm not conscious of which language I think in. I think it switches between French and English.

I do think it's pretty split 50-50. When I was attending conferences in Spanish (a language in which I'm not fluent), my notes were a mishmash of Spanish and equal French and English when I wasn't sure how to express something.

I do tend to mix both French and English because most of my friends are bilingual and sometimes I'll temporarily forget the French or English word/expression.

I'm in France now and I'm not used to code-switching being off-limits.

[quiapo]

When I am emotional, I think in Spanish . .otherwise,
english is pervasive. I rarely think in Filipno.