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The language spoken by the voice in your head?

Signomi

Signomi

7,482
Posts
18
Years
    • This was a thought that popped into my head for a while, I only recently brought it up again with my friends. Nica especially wanted me to make this thread. :)

    I know that there are plenty of people out there who know more than one tongue. I admire you all greatly, because that is still something I'm trying to work upon and am getting there through baby steps.

    However, there is something I've wondered for a while, especially amongst people who have learned English as a second language. Having learned another tongue along with the one you were first taught, perhaps becoming fluent as you continue to develop your speaking skills, what does that say about your thought process? Are you able to speak fluently in English or another language, yet at the same time you think in a language remotely different to the one you most frequently speak?

    I know several friends. One of them is Asian, another is Spanish, another is Italian and one more is Greek. They're friends from college. My asian friend is Pakistani, and had English thrust upon them once having moved to the UK to live with their family. After several years, it's come to the point where they've started speaking AND thinking in English more than they do their native language. Whereas my other friends, whom are Spanish, Italian and Greek, all became accustomed to the English language in similar fashions yet stay true to their native languages when they think to themselves.

    Let me ask you this question, which of these scenarios apply to you? If you've learned more than one language, do you think and contemplate in your native language, or any secondary languages? Do you perhaps alternate between both and somehow manage to rotate them at your own discretion?

    Incidentally, this doesn't only apply to those who know more than one language. As an English speaker, you must at least know English to a good extent. If you were to learn another language, would you ever see yourself becoming more accustomed to that language rather than the one you've used for a very long time? Even to the point where you may start thinking in that language rather than in English?

    I'd love to hear your input.
     

    Gamedudebt

    Pokemon Master
    36
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • I was born in a French community and went to a french school so i had to speak French, but I really disliked speaking and learning in french so I always spoke English at home and everywhere else, both my parents are French though and that's how they speak to me sometimes, I understand both English and French well. I don't really think it effects My thought progress much, every voice in my head speaks English.
     

    Graceful

    あぁ、たいさ！♥
    2,256
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • It depends, I'm English anyway, so I usually speak and think in english, but as I'm learning Japanese, I like to think that way to because it kinda helps to speak it as well.
     

    PlatinumDude

    Nyeh?
    12,964
    Posts
    13
    Years
    • Even though I'm Filipino, I was born into an English community. This fact may be the reason why I refuse to learn a new language.
     

    Zvezda

    59
    Posts
    13
    Years
    • Seen Oct 3, 2011
    I was born in the UK but my family comes from Russia. I think in English and Russian but English is the dominant one. I tend to swear in Russian, though. It just sounds so much more epic!
     

    days

    Galactic HQ
    33
    Posts
    14
    Years
    • Seen Jul 17, 2013
    The voice in my head consists of English and Images
     

    RYOUKI

    survive the world.
    3,252
    Posts
    17
    Years
    • That depends on what language you're currently surrounded with. For me, my native is Filipino and English is my second language, but since I'm in an English speaking country, the voice in my head tend to be English.
     
    Elite Overlord LeSabre™

    Elite Overlord LeSabre™

    On that 'Non stop road'
    9,895
    Posts
    16
    Years
    • English is my primary language, so it's how I think as well as speak most of the time. There will be times when I "think" in the C++ computer language though xD

    I know limited Spanish and VERY limited Japanese, certainly not enough to have coherent thoughts in either language.
     
    Meganium

    Meganium

    [i]memento mori[/i]
    17,226
    Posts
    13
    Years
    • My parents are both from Mexico and I was born in Mexico, but I know both English and Spanish very well. I can translate both languages very well too. I do speak a little bit of Italian since I'm still learning.
     

    NurseBarbra

    くら　くら？
    322
    Posts
    13
    Years
    • Age 29
    • Seen Feb 4, 2017
    I'm irish and i was born in the Gaelteacht in Mayo (irish speaking only community) So i consider Irish my first language, but I moved to dublin and i had to learn english, I have limited French and a 7th grade level of japanese. I cant use it on my computer though as my japanese keyboard broke..
    So yeah the voices in my head are Irish english and japanese
     
    Cherrim

    Cherrim

    PSA: Blossom Shower theme is BACK ♥
    33,290
    Posts
    21
    Years
    • English is my native language and it's the language I think in. When I was better in French (ie, I actually liked it), I used to try to think in French sometimes, like when I was walking home from school or something but that was mostly just a phase.

    So just English for me. :(
     

    Nick

    17,600
    Posts
    19
    Years
    • Seen Apr 21, 2024
    ...I just tried to think in French and I got a headache.

    The only language I really know is English, so that's the language my inners speak.
     
    Sydian

    Sydian

    fake your death.
    33,379
    Posts
    16
    Years
    • I used to ALWAYS think about this as a kid. But anyway, I think in English most of the time, but sometimes (and especially in high school when I took the class), I'd get a little French in there, and eventually they both got jumbled up to where it was nearly half and half. Franglish? Englench? lmao
     

    Alice

    (>^.(>0.0)>
    3,077
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • Sadly, I haven't progressed enough in the languages that I'm learning to actually think in those languages... My French teacher says once you start dreaming in a language, you know you're starting to become fluent. It's kind of hard to imagine though, for some reason. lol
     
    Legobricks

    Legobricks

    7,741
    Posts
    17
    Years
    • Seen Sep 18, 2020
    I'm monolingual and this post is English, so given the choice I would think in whatever language I find the most efficient/fastest. Of those I would want to learn, likely Dutch. What I'd most like to do though is consciously think without a language.
     

    Kishijoten

    CEO of trouble making~
    1,176
    Posts
    16
    Years
    • Chinese, that happens to be my fluent langauge. Although as I grew up I become more fluent in English as well. Now I am currently taking Japanese too. So I am fluent in two langauges and currently learning another.
     
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