Do You Think In A Language


Do You Think In A Language  

174 members have voted

  1. 1. Do You Think In A Language

    • Yes
      168
    • No
      6
  2. 2. If "Yes," Then Which Describes you?

    • I think in my native language
      86
    • I think in a non-native language
      18
    • I think in my native language unless I'm dealing with another language at the moment
      23
    • I use different languages at different times when thikning
      38
    • I only use a language some of the time
      9


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I usually think in English but when my mind is really going and involved (focused) on something I usually just think without language. Object oriented I suppose and I think a lot faster that way. Having to translate my thoughts into English slows me down I guess.

I mean, love is something English does no justice to. Its probably the worst language to describe it. When I am thinking of my fiancee or how I feel when I am with her, no language can describe that.

Ah but love is a feeling not a thought, though I agree language can not do justice. I can't imagine turning emotions into language, they just are - like pain or warmth.

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What i thought provoking thread!

I asked my work mate who is Afgan and he said it depends who he is talking to or thinking about. if he is thinking about something English he thinks in English, if he thinks about Afgan he thinks in Afgan, o Urdu for Urdu and Indian for Indian (he speak 5 languages).

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yes, I think in American Sign Language even though it is not my native language, it is much easier to get my expressions and thoughts out. After learning ASL, it unlocked so many doors that now I think and communicate better in ASL than in English.

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  • 4 weeks later...

He said that he things in english when he is here talking to others that speak english, but if he goes home or is talking to someone in german he thinks in german.

Same, just depends who I am communicating with and where i am living. When we got back to visit my family in India I think in my mother-tongue, but since I live in America, I think in English almost all the time.. (or should I call it American? :p)

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It depends on the situation - when I'm talking to my mom I'm basically thinking in German... with my Dad it's usually Dutch. With my friends however it switches from german, to dutch and english... when i'm alone it's a mix of english and dutch :p

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uhm...

i think in German, since im living in germany, and speak it most of the time.

in the moment when i write/speak/read or hear English i switch over to thinking in English as well...

quite funny, i dont translate what im typing here, i just write it down :p

its an awsum and quite impressive feeling, in that moment when my mom pops into my room and talks to me im thinking in German again - with no delay.

-fm

edit:/addition:

but sometimes im sitting in class - like in history or politics - and i just dont raise my arm to say what i want to say because i lag of the words for it wanting to say it in English :D

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  • 3 weeks later...

Although I usually think in my primary language, Korean, there are some situations in which I naturally think in English such as when I'm in school or shopping, etc.

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I only think in my native tongue, English. When I tried to learn a second language, Spanish, I would always find myself thinking in English and then translating my response into Spanish.

When I program, I always think in C++ and then translate the output into whatever language I am using (which is usually C++ or C#).

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I'm puertorican, but been living in the United States for 15 years. I sometimes still thinking in spanish, but I think in english more than spanish.

/EZ

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I live in the Dominican Republic, I am Dominican, and everybody around me speaks Spanish. However, I think in English, always. English is more efficient (albeit less descriptive).

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