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What language do you think in?

K

Kolind

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 2, 2006
105
0
Denmark
My girlfriend just asked me what language(s) I think in, so I thought why not ask all of you the same thing. Post where you're from (unless it says in your profile), and write what languages the thought you have might be in.

For me it's mostly Danish (obviously), but at times it might be Norwegian, English or even French (and I'm not that good at French). Very rarely maybe even German... It all depends on where I am, and if I've been reading or listening to that language.

How about you guys?
 
I think in english, as it's the only language I know.

I asked my friend who is from Spain and she says that while she;s in the US, it's about half and half. While she's in Spain, it's all spanish, though.
 
I think in English much of the time, but often I'll switch off to french for a while, especially if I've just been speaking, reading or listening to something in french.

I've been known to say stuff to people in french unintentionally after thinking in french for a while.
 
I think of some things in French, and some things in english, and some things in my made up Tomlish language. :p
 
English when I'm in England, English with a burr when I'm in Scotland, French after about 15 minutes in France, Italian after 15 minutes in Italy.
 
words when I'm crazy, images when I'm not.

As for the former, English. As for the latter, neuromuscular sensory recall.
 
England, Manchester (saddleworth to be precise). Think the same too. But in a Peep Show kinda way.
 
And voice

I actually end up asking this question of anyone I know who can think in two languages. It always amazes me that they can think in the second language, even if it was learned as an adult! I can somewhat speak a second language, but I can't imagine getting to the point where I could think in it.

The other issue I like to bring up to women, because they're usually oblivious to it, is how strange it is for boys whose voices are changing because they speak in a different voice than they think in. In other words, since we tend to think in our own voices, guys go through a period where they're still thinking in the higher-pitched voice and yet the words coming out of their mouths are in the lower-pitched voice. Makes the mind go nuts until the mind changes to match the body.

:)
 
It's definitely Japanglish: Japanese plus any variant of English. It doesn't always come out in words as nicely as I'd like but it works. I've been known to speak well in other languages and often without the translation layer but I don't feel as though I'm thinking in that language really.
 
Often I think in images as well, but when I think in a language, it's almost always pidgin American Sign Language - ASL signs in English order. I don't actually sign that way though, which is interesting thinking about it.
 
I'm in the U.S. and my mother tongue is English (of the American variety) so most of my thoughts are in English. However, the occasional German and Hindi thoughts do pop up.

I guess the most embarrassing part is that sometimes I'll get so deep in my thoughts I'll have actual conversations with myself. After it's over I'll wonder if I said anything I was thinking out loud, and if anyone heard. :eek:
 
I'm not allowed to say here I might get banned :D

But I find myself constantly asking people "did I say that out loud?"
 
Since I've started learning Spanish, I've always wondered what language people think in but I always forget to ask (including making a thread like this :p ). I think in English (with random so-cal-isms thrown in, see my location). I asked my Spanish teacher this one time, and she thinks in Italian, but always speaks English and teaches Spanish. :eek:
 
I think more in concepts (it's hard to describe) and rarely in words and very rarly in images. I could never describe somebody to a sketch artist for exmple.
 
Predominantly English, but if I'm speaking/reading/writing in Ukrainian I'll think in Ukrainian (I spoke it before I spoke English).

But when I was doing German in highschool I would always think in English and then translate in my head. I suppose that's just because I didn't know the language as well.
 
zephead said:
I asked my Spanish teacher this one time, and she thinks in Italian, but always speaks English and teaches Spanish. :eek:
Click to expand...

That sounds a lot like my good friend. She speaks English at work, Telegu at home, and thinks/dreams in Hindi. The Hindi part threw me off since Telegu is her native tongue. :)
 
I speak Mandarin and English, born in the US, speak Mand-glish at home. Before my late teens, I didn't think in any language in particular. I dont' think I really could articulate my thoughts that well. If you asked me what I was thinking, I would have a feeling to tell you but not a thought. Just kinda amorphously vague stuff. At one point in my late teens, I caught myself thinking in English. And it just became English since then. When i need to express something difficult to articulate, I switch to English. I can't switch between the languages; for instance, if I start out speaking English, I can't switch to Mandarin. I can do both mixed together. And on a more limited basis, I can do just Mandarin.
 
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