Multilingual people amongst you...

Cigaro · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Karma :

What do you consider your 'internal' language? As in, which language do you think in? For those of you who spent a lot of time around people speaking your second language, did you start to think and dream in that language?

Do we have an internal language at all? Do people who have been deaf from birth think in words or pictures? Is it normal for thoughts to run through your head in words?

McGee · O RLY? Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Karma :

I speak and write German and Spanish.

Sometimes I will be writing/doing a paper and the foreign words will slip in.

Like Ich instead of I etc.
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Its pronounced Jixxer!

pwntifex · World Chat Champion Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Karma :

I'm bilingual (French/English), learned French first, so I can only give you the bilingual perspective. Think in French if I'm thinking about French things generally, but most of the time I tend to switch between the two at will. If I'm in France then I won't speak English at all, nor will I think in it. The change over is pretty quick.
I think in Russian sometimes also, but my Russian isn't really developed enough for that to be a usual thing. So I would say that my internal language isn't solely restricted to one language.

I will say that I feel much more confident speaking French than English, and tend to come across as being a more confident and outspoken person in the former. My thoughts tend to be clearer if my 'internal voice' is thinking in French, too.

I also think being bilingual gives you unique setup as far as languages are concerned; not sure if part of the brain is 'activated' by being brought up with more than one language or what, but I certainly feel (from having talked to other language students) that the way I think about languages is much different to the way they do, and learning new languages (especially picking up accents) is rather more easy for me than a lot of my peers.
Having said that, although grammatical rules are generally pretty quickly learned and internalized, if questioned it's difficult to put across (because it feels 'innate' rather than learned).

Make sense? Embarassed

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Walloper · Super Spammer Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Karma :

quacker_boy · Cuddle Bitch Joined: 06 Sep 2005 Karma :

You wouldn't want to know what my arabic thoughts are... Shifty

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McGee · O RLY? Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Karma :

Walloper · Super Spammer Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Karma :

Ichy · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Karma :

German by birth and I spent a fair amount of time in different Slavic Countries,mainly Croatia. Also speak a bit of Italian, Dutch, and French. Lived in Birmingham for a fair chuck of my long life and that's where my accent comes from.

I find myself thinking in English and 'converting' with the languages I don't use so much. When it comes to German and Croatian I don't think any differently than I would with English, it just sort of happens. When I'm ill or tired I find myself drifting through different countries, I get some strange looks at times.

I work with a fair number of Germans and find I have to have some time with nothing going on when I get home after a busy day before I can have a conversation with my wife without drifting. I do find that I misunderstand some posts on here occasionally, think I sometimes get the tense and grammar wrong.

oisky · Renault 5 Driver Joined: 11 Feb 2007 Karma :

"German by birth and I spent a fair amount of time in different Slavic Countries,mainly Croatia. Also speak a bit of Italian, Dutch, and French"

All those countries and accents to choose from and you end up with a Birmingham one. Some people get all the luck!!!

Ichy · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Karma :

When I worked for BMW I used to be accused of being Brumvarian.

You can see the surprise on peoples faces when the bloke next to them who was rambling on in German to someone turns round and says "Yo orrite?"

kawashima · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 May 2005 Karma :

Glen · Spanner Monkey Joined: 15 Nov 2006 Karma :

Walloper · Super Spammer Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Karma :

Madmanx · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 Dec 2007 Karma :

I,m conilingual.. Rolling Eyes

It means I can lick two pussies at once.
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Ichy · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Karma :

Your own and ....?

Madmanx · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 Dec 2007 Karma :

fourten · Spanner Monkey Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Karma :

British born chinese, chinese is my mother tongue but think in English as my chinese is pretty poor nowadays...
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hellkat · Super Spammer Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

I'm natural born Brunette but I sometimes think in blonde.
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