What language do you think in?

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ssj halomodder

What language do you think in?

Post by ssj halomodder » Sat Mar 31, 2012 6:46 pm

Pielogist wrote:Yes, I was thinking and speaking abstractly. I'm deliberately being vague, firstly because I can't be specific: I don't know how. Sorry if I couldn't really explain myself: I've tried a lot of words, but I figured that 'magic' was the best. And secondly, I also think that life holds different values for everyone, and by being vague I could incorporate all those values of love, knowledge, happiness, etc. into the word, 'magic'.

I'm still working on a better definition, so it's not that I'm not trying to be more descriptive. I prefer to be concise, meaning I post the summary of my thoughts. I just don't want to spill my 'working' all over the place until I've gotten somewhere. And 'magic' is as far as I've gotten.
This post made me think. A lot. After a while of contemplating this I decided to talk about it with a close friend. Image Image (ignore that third message she sent. my messages-times sometimes are screwed up, if you look at the times above the messages she actually sent that to me earlier that morning)

So maybe Pie, the reason you cannot think of the word is because there is a word in your mind that know what it is and everything, but there is simply no word in English to describe it. Which is why I'm saying that it would be cool if one day we invent translators to translate that stuff, like something that would allow people to speak brain-to-brain, that way everybody would be able to be able to say exactly what they're saying, with no fear of miscommunication between people!
Last edited by ssj halomodder on Sat Mar 31, 2012 6:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: What language do you think in?

Post by Amy » Sat Mar 31, 2012 6:49 pm

Yeah I feel we think in just a way we can understand. No really....language. I mean I can think in other languages, but that's just me making them into other languages, but what we think is mainly just understanding. If you think about it (no pun intended) we usually just think in actions. We aren't constantly formulating sentences in our mind, it's only when we mean to. Interesting topic to discuss, really. Maybe if I was any better at organizing my thoughts xD.

(also lol you showing off that you talk to girls on ichat hehehe)
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Re: What language do you think in?

Post by Pielogist » Sat Mar 31, 2012 7:41 pm

I think in 'brain', but my thoughts are very very vague when I do so. Only by translating it into English can I then find out exactly what it is that I'm trying to say. Honestly, I cannot get anywhere if I keep thinking in 'brain'; simply because it's too chaotic, and I cannot think clearly since my brain keeps going off topic. I get the overall 'idea' of my thoughts in 'brain', then I try to express clearly it using English. Sometimes I like to hold a conversation with myself in my brain when I think, or open up a textedit document to start writing. I used to think in Chinese, but now it's 90% English, and 10% Chinese for the things I can't describe in English.

On the topic of 'magic', it's not that I know it exactly in 'brain', either. In fact, it's even more vague in 'brain', since it's nothing more than a concept or a feeling. By giving it the name 'magic', I can then describe the feeling that I wish to express, it's vague but it's a start. But if you read my previous paragraph, that's just how I think... I think everyone's different in how they think and express.

If someone created a 'thought recorder machine', I would certainly be in line to buy it.

ssj halomodder

Re: What language do you think in?

Post by ssj halomodder » Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:25 pm

Amy wrote:(also lol you showing off that you talk to girls on ichat hehehe)
that's also how I first asked her out :p... AND IT'S NOT iChat! Yup, sexay and I know it. wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle, yeah.

Amy wrote:Yeah I feel we think in just a way we can understand. No really....language. I mean I can think in other languages, but that's just me making them into other languages, but what we think is mainly just understanding.
I think we mainly think in feelings. But yeah, you may think in other languages, but how do you think naturally, reflexively? It's like what I learned about in genetics the other day how how you naturally clasp your hands is a genetic thing, so to how you think naturally could also be a thing (not genetical).
Last edited by ssj halomodder on Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: What language do you think in?

Post by Modzy » Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:33 pm

I typically think in an English accent.

ssj halomodder

Re: What language do you think in?

Post by ssj halomodder » Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:40 pm

And are you non-american, because if you aren't then that wouldn't really be too notable.

Pielogist wrote:I cannot think clearly since my brain keeps going off topic. I get the overall 'idea' of my thoughts in 'brain', then I try to express clearly it using English. Sometimes I like to hold a conversation with myself in my brain when I think... in fact, it's even more vague in 'brain', since it's nothing more than a concept or a feeling.
You've described most of my thinking process in an instant.

To both Pie and Amy, 'Brain' and 'language' aren't the right words, but again, I cannot think of a good word in English for them, I cannot think of a word in any spoken language for them, actually.

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Re: What language do you think in?

Post by TaxiService » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:20 am

english and italian.

…yeah, somewhat. It's like if you have two dictionaries and use words from both, almost always ending up with a senseless phrase.

By sense i mean what all the readers that are not myself are interpreting. You see, communication is an odd thing. When i have to talk to a person i have to express my thoughts into words; produce some sounds with my throat/slap my fingers on some buttons and wait for the listening party to acknowledge the sounds/graphemes and interpret them themselves. There are many things that can go wrong!!

For instance: the process of putting your thoughts into words can sometimes thin out what you want meant originally. Either because you don't know the exact words that would describe your thoughts, or because the words don't exist at all! (i can't say how probable it is that a word doesn't exist :-\ i mean, compared to you being ignorant, reader.)

And so you try to communicate! And if you did it well enough, the listening party will completely understand what you tried to express. If you didn't do it well enough, they might interpret your statements wrongly; but if you're taxi, the listening party will be all like "what the hell is even written in here" and "whuh… what? ooh right, taxi is a spambot!" and you'll know you have failed communication and you don't speak any language properly. :'(
  • TaxiService! Shitposting since 2007!
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Re: What language do you think in?

Post by Smythe » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:55 am

Australian.
Not exciting.
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Re: What language do you think in?

Post by Sparky » Sun Apr 01, 2012 6:14 pm

I've thought about this repeatedly, and I noticed that I tend to think to myself in thoughts, then English words. At a certain point after college, I slipped into a method of thinking that more strongly based upon words (I've been able to dedicate more time towards thinking in more depth, and if you consider what I say below, you'll see what I mean about this). When I read, I speak in my head. However, I recognize that I can think faster by only thinking in thoughts. Depth of thought occurs in the settling of thoughts in my mind; if they are unsettled for any reason, I seek to understand why. I also scrutinize their logic and seek to understand what I have noticed -- I think like this very often, and it as become a way of thinking that I have adopted during the last two years while I have sought to understand what is important in life. The movement actions of my thoughts are not in words, but in noticing and decision-making, whereas the depth of thought dances with words by which I might be able to transcribe my thoughts.

There is more than one method of thinking, and usually I use words, but otherwise I could decide to use notice-response-action-faster thoughts. The latter is when you observe and respond, where the words take a back seat in your consciousness and the actions take the front seat. I only do this after first figuring out what I want to accomplish, then using this type of thought to accomplish it quickly and with my senses all in gear. It's not a way of thought that works when making important decisions; with that, you use the thought process that has some level of experience conveying thoughts into words but not the thought process that uses words. I guess that makes it three levels of thought:

- notice-response-fastaction ("doing it")
- decision making without thinking in words ("I'm going to do this")
- in-depth consideration which dances with words ("What should I do?")

When you read what I'm writing here, you utilize something in between the second and third methods of thinking. In order to dedicate more consideration to what you are reading, you would need to momentarily pause from reading it and reflect upon what you've read, and this would be the third method of thinking, thinking in depth, where your thoughts dance with the words you've read and your understanding of other words. The first method of thinking is something you can figure out how to do yourself and involves a keen sense of purpose and focus, based upon your decisions made during the second method of thinking.
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