Which Language Do People Think With?

[Archon14]

I usually think in English, even though it's not my native language. Too much time spent on the computer, I'd say.

Atleast it's not causing any problems for me while I'm speaking in my native tongue. When you know more than one language very well and use them often, brain switches from one to the other quite easily.

[Jademist]

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

Interesting to think about, isn't it? I feel babies aren't very cognizant -- by that I mean they don't really "think" like adults think. As for people who never learn a language....Everyone learns a language. It may not be the language we know as normal functioning adults but even the most simple-minded have some form of language that probably affects their thought processes.

[Flutterguy]

I think in uranus.

[Wikiy]

Mostly English. Probably has to do with the fact that the language sounds cooler. And that's probably related to movies and the internet mostly being in English.

On a sidenote, I still find it hilarious that people can actually stomach the idea of playing something like WoW in Italian, Spanish, Russian or French.

[Beefkow]

If I speak japanese (which I do a little bit), I would have to think in english, since that is my primary language.

[Aggrophobic]

In swedish, most of the time though I do tend to think and I guess also dream in english during times when I use a lot of english in my everyday life.

[Theodarzna]

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

Unknown, the last feral child I can recall was genie from the 70's and we can't exactly ethically make feral children.

[Alonos]

I mostly think and dream in English, but from time to time I'll notice myself doing it with German too.

[xskarma]

I spend so much more of my time on the internet than I do with people in real life that I have serious trouble even speaking my mother tongue without having to use english words at times cause the Dutch word escapes me at the time (or there is no good dutch word to describe something).

Given this I assume I think in English as well most of the time. Small example of why I think this is probably true: when I have to create a list for things I need to do, I tend to write it down in english, even if no one else is going to read it but me (meanign Dutch would make more sense).

I think part of it is also that when we think we often think in concepts, and where we got those concepts or what they relate to will often dictate what language we associate with it. Since most of the things I do have english associated with them it seems only logical that most of my thinking about those concepts happens in the language associated with it.

[Cosmic Janitor]

In my mind.. probably more English than German these days. Depends on my state of mind though, it flip-flops for the most part tbh, depending on the topic. It just gets annoying when I keep forgetting words in one language or I want to use phrases/idioms that work in one but not the other language. To be honest I fear that has actually made my communication skills in German a bit worse, and I was already not very good at giving speeches...

- - - Updated - - -

I spend so much more of my time on the internet than I do with people in real life that I have serious trouble even speaking my mother tongue without having to use english words at times cause the Dutch word escapes me at the time (or there is no good dutch word to describe something).

I feel you...

[Deleted]

I speak fluent Swedish, English, German and Finnish but for some reason I tend to think in English most of the time. Occasionally I swap to Swedish without even realizing it.

[Noradin]

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?

For me it is a combination of all of them.
Percentages depend on topic.

- - - Updated - - -

What language do deaf people think in?

Depends on when/how they became that way and if they can read and/or speak.

As someone said before thoughts and dreams do not often use sounds, you can think in "written English", you do not need to know how it sounds.

[minteK917]

Interesting to think about, isn't it? I feel babies aren't very cognizant -- by that I mean they don't really "think" like adults think. As for people who never learn a language....Everyone learns a language. It may not be the language we know as normal functioning adults but even the most simple-minded have some form of language that probably affects their thought processes.

Actually we have exmaple of lost kids that turn feral and never learn language. As far as we could study they dont develope as much thinking ability of humans with social contacts. We even have Genie, i think was her name, where her father literally locked her up in a room and strapped her to a bed for years only feeding her and never teaching her any languages. When they took her away she was eventually able to learn a language, but her social behavior was always highly problematic.

[MikeBogina]

I think many people who started off speaking a language and have moved, forcing them to learn another and use it more, transition their mental language eventually.

- - - Updated - - -

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

Well there's like 2 different types of thoughts in our heads. Like thoughts and inner voice. Thoughts dont need a language, your inner voice does. Your thoughts can't really be controlled all to well either, like automatic, while your inner voice is manual.

[Awbee]

Roughly 50/50 between English and German. Same goes for talking to myself, and dreaming.

[Skayaq]

I think in either Danish or English, depending on the context. Back when I was in college I was thinking in English all the time because most of my daily interactions where in English anyway.

[Hound Archon]

Huh, weird. I speak English fairly well, but I most definitely think in Russian unless I am actively engaged in some kind of complex English language-related activity (reading a difficult text, writing a particularly important email). Simple English-related activities (reading simple texts, playing untranslated videogames, just talking to people) do not require me to shift mental gears. Go figure.

[Deleted]

As I speak 4 languages pretty well, and are able to understand and communicate in 2 additional, my answer will be , that I think in the language i am using. So if you ask me something is German, that will be the language that I think in.
But dreaming ... Think it is my native language every time.

[Lethora]

I usually think in English and it leads to stupid situations where I can't quickly find the Russian equivalent of what I just thought about (well, unless I'm speaking to someone who knows English at decent level).

My personal reason for doing so is very simple: English is much more compact and informative. For example, there are words and phrases that are short but contain a lot of meaning. Using Russian to tell the same information would take many more words and/or sentences.

[Ryme]

I've heard that multilingual people think and dream in the language they're most exposed to at the given time.