One question I've gotten on multiple occasions is whether I think in German or English. Without getting too abstract, I'd like to try to explain how it works.
When I speak German, I don't think of sentences in English and then translate them. I kind of open my mouth and German flies out. When I'm trying to express more complicated ideas or when I back myself into a corner during a grammatically complex sentence, I really have to think hard, but I feel like I think in German at the time.
When I speak English, of course I think in English. English is my mother language and it's just natural that way.
But the hardest part to describe is how I think when I'm not talking, for example, if I'm biking to soccer practice or on the train. I guess I could best explain it like this: if I'm thinking of anything language-related that's happened in the past or that will happen in the future (a conversation, something I've read, something I've written or will write), then I think in whatever language that it's in.
But I feel like my consciousness isn't really in any language. When I let my mind wander, reminisce about past events, ponder an important issue in the world today, or wonder what the future will bring, the thoughts just are. They don't need to be brought to words; words are used to transfer ideas between people, while my thoughts are just for me.
What I'm much more interested in is knowing how all of you bilingual and multilingual people out there handle this. For anyone who speaks more than one language fluently, what language do you think in?
13 comments:
Kevin-such an intriguing question posed to our multilingual friends. I await those comments. It was very interesting to read your language processing. Whew! btw... I'm honored to be on your blogroll.
I think pretty much like you do. If it's about language, I think in that language. When I think about concepts, then I'm not so much thinking in words.
I can't separate the thinking process from the speaking process. I think mainly in English (not my native language). The reason for that is that I just don't use German that much. I am talking to my cats in English, I am even talking to myself in English when nobody is around. I switch back as soon as I use German more often again, like after talking on the phone in German all weekend, when being home on vacation, etc.
Hard to say - it really depends on what I'm thinking about and I'll sometimes switch back and forth in mid thought.
What about dreams? Do you dream in English or German or both?
Thanks for the comments! It's interesting to hear a few other perspectives.
bek, I can definitely understand where you're coming from. Your situation reminds me of an interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the German magazine stern. Although his native language is German and he first moved to the US at the age of 21, he preferred to do the interview with a German reporter in English.
christina, I can't remember too many dreams in the last while, but starting about a month after I got here, I dreamt in German or in a mix of the two languages.
Any other polyglots out there? Share your thoughts!
-Kevin
It's an environment thing for me...when I'm in China or when I'm interacting with people in Chinese, typically the thoughts stay in Chinese until something English forces me into English again.
Growing up in a multicultural country, Malaysia... yes I'm a polyglot. What language do I think in depends on which language I last used/corresponded in...
If I just got off the phone in Malay, I'll think in Malay. If I just finished writing an email in Spanish, I'll think in Spanish. However, at other times, it'll always be in English and I don't dream in any languages other than English itself...
I have essentially the same to say as you. however, i find that since being in germany, certain words which i use constantly here auf deutsch, but have not mentioned auf english for the past several months were only in my head auf deutsch. if that makes any sense.
also, over spring break when my family and friends came to visit, i often had major problems speaking english, because i hadnt in such a long time.
Also, im really bad at translating. I can understand something in english. and understand something in german. but changing is just... difficult.
Point of interest: i talk in my sleep. and apparently i have been talking in german while sleeping for the past while.
cool, nicht wahr?
Hi Kev,
It's your grandmother, father, and aunt--all of us not particularly multilingual. We enjoyed reading what you wrote and Grandma particularly loved hearing from you yesterday--it was sort of the topping on her cake. See you in July!
Love,
Grandma, Dad, and Aunt Kathy
Cool post. Reminds me of this article I just read in the science section of the NY times that I think you'd like. It's about how language affects perception. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/science/22lang.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=science
Thanks for your comments! It seems like the consensus is that people think in the language that they're using at the time.
The article is an interesting look at language and perception. But I don't think there are any radical enough differences between German and English to have an effect on the way people perceive the world, so I'm not sure there's something I could talk about from my experience.
-Kevin
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