Which Language Do People Think With?

[Roose]

I have always wondered which language people that speak multiple languages use to process things in their heads. That could sound extremely stupid I guess. Maybe I am just stoned.

Do people fluent in several languages dream in every language?

Do people always prefer native tongue?

What language do deaf people think in?

[breadisfunny]

i think in elven.

[Jotaux]

Hmm, now I'm curious. I should probably ask my dad, when he talks with his brother or my grandpa they talk in 3 different langauges within the same sentence.

[Garnier Fructis]

I think in English. I don't need to do any translating in my head to speak my other language, but random thoughts are basically all in English.

[Themius]

I think in two languages. This topic came up before, there were quite a few people who thought in english even though English wasn't their native language.

[Kalis]

I asked a Polish girlfriend this, she thought in English when she was speaking in English and Polish when talking to Poles, she also often dreamt in English - hopefully about me at the time.

[Fencers]

English. I speak Spanish fluently and a skirt around a few others. But my default is English and I think in English to translate to Spanish or Yiddish in my mind first before speaking aloud.

[ls-]

I have always wondered which language people that speak multiple languages use to process things in their heads. That could sound extremely stupid I guess. Maybe I am just stoned.

Do people fluent in several languages dream in every language?

Do people always prefer native tongue?

I speak 3 languages (English, Russian and Chinese) more or less fluently, few more are on crappy level, but use 2 (English and Chinese) in everyday life, so I occasionally find myself dreaming in 1 of those 3 languages or even all of them. Depends on what I'm doing in my dreams...

Same goes for RL, sorta. It depends on the last language I used in either spoken or written form, I may just keep thinking in that language until I need to switch to another one. It may also depend on what I'm doing, if I'm writing code, I'm thinking in English, if I'm watching YouTube videos or movies I'm thinking in either English or Chinese. If I'm around my friends, it may be any language I know.

What language do deaf people think in?

I have no idea.

[Ulfric Trumpcloak]

Mostly english, even though spanish is my main language.

[Theodarzna]

I have always wondered which language people that speak multiple languages use to process things in their heads. That could sound extremely stupid I guess. Maybe I am just stoned.

Do people fluent in several languages dream in every language?

Do people always prefer native tongue?

What language do deaf people think in?

I am a polyglot. I would say my thoughts are about 2 out 3 times done in Welsh and the rest in English. Though I've likely heard both languages my entire life, but I'd give an edge to welsh because there have been moments were I totally freeze up in conversation or writing (rarely with English but it happens) were have to take a minute to figure out how to put my thoughts into whatever I say.

I also use Spanish a lot being in California its a good one to pick up. and am in passing familiarity with a host of others, particularly the other Celtic languages to varying extent though I wouldn't call myself fluent in the other 5.

Fun thing about Dreams, almost no dreams actually have sound. Your brain interprets that sound might happen but rarely are there actual words except what you interpret after waking up, or at least that is how my psychology professor explained it so many years ago.

As for deaf people, that's actually something I don't know.

[tj119]

Depends, my wife and I typically speak portugese, unless with our children. So sometimes I think in a weird mixture of that and english.

[Hana Song]

I think in korean mostly

[Steve French]

I have always wondered which language people that speak multiple languages use to process things in their heads. That could sound extremely stupid I guess. Maybe I am just stoned.

Do people fluent in several languages dream in every language?

Do people always prefer native tongue?

What language do deaf people think in?

I'm guessing the language they currently speak the most.

[Tailswipe]

In English unless I'm actually speaking Afrikaans.

[ls-]

I am a polyglot. I would say my thoughts are about 2 out 3 times done in Welsh and the rest in English. Though I've likely heard both languages my entire life, but I'd give an edge to welsh because there have been moments were I totally freeze up in conversation or writing (rarely with English but it happens) were have to take a minute to figure out how to put my thoughts into whatever I say.

I also use Spanish a lot being in California its a good one to pick up. and am in passing familiarity with a host of others, particularly the other Celtic languages to varying extent though I wouldn't call myself fluent in the other 5.

Fun thing about Dreams, almost no dreams actually have sound. Your brain interprets that sound might happen but rarely are there actual words except what you interpret after waking up, or at least that is how my psychology professor explained it so many years ago.

As for deaf people, that's actually something I don't know.

I wonder what happens in my brain then, cuz I'm talking in my sleep a lot T_T

[Roose]

That is some cool info. Are some languages just easier to process? I always hear that English is easy to learn. I wonder if the brain takes the path of least resistance when deciding which language to use.

[Theodarzna]

I wonder what happens in my brain then, cuz I'm talking in my sleep a lot T_T

The brain interprets sound which its technically not processing. So mouths are moving, but actually its just garbled nonsense that you then respond to.

- - - Updated - - -

That is some cool info. Are some languages just easier to process? I always hear that English is easy to learn. I wonder if the brain takes the path of least resistance when deciding which language to use.

Languages that are easier to learn are usually languages closest to what you already know.

So if your a native English speaker, Dutch would be somewhat easier than Greek.

Since I have Nat. Welsh, Irish and Scots-Gaelic IN THEORY should be easier (but I am a bit lazy with both)

So for example if you speak a European language, other European languages will be easier to learn. As will theoretically other Indo-European languages. IMHO The further away from your native languages you get the harder it is.

English is actually a very hard language if it isn't your native language just because even as a European Language its actually very unusual.

[ls-]

The brain interprets sound which its technically not processing. So mouths are moving, but actually its just garbled nonsense that you then respond to.

Heh, nice. Wish I talked less though...

[Bodakane]

What language do babies or people who never learned a language, think in?

[Jademist]

I can speak five languages fluently (I cheated because I was born in a country where speaking 3 languages fluently was what was the norm. Learn English in schools -- and most of the media was in English -- speak the national language at school as well but have a different regional language spoken at home). I have dreamt in different languages before and I found that as I got used to speaking Mandarin (I spent 2 years immersed in Taiwan) and German (been learning since high school -- I'm 24 now. Had an Austrian roommate and dated a German person) I began to dream in them more often.

My SO has heard me speak Chinese and German in my sleep (I sleep talk often apparently). As for thinking, it really depends. Most of the time I think in English but when making decisions it actually helps thinking in a different language. Learning a language to full fluency requires one to somewhat be acquainted with that language's native culture and thought-processes, since knowing how to speak only gets you so far. It helps a lot. This article explains it a bit: http://www.wired.com/2012/04/language-and-bias/