Bear with me here.

[BlindMessiah94]

I'm probably actually suffering from some form of neurosis now that I think about it but I often think in poetry. Weird huh?

 

[xHipaboo420x]

Whenever someone says "bear with me" I take it to mean there's an actual bear with them. It brightens up my day.

OT: I tend to find that my train of thought gets places before I do. It's hard to explain, but it's like, by the time I've put into (mental) words what I'm thinking or trying to remember, my mind already knows.

 

[Cherry Cola]

Non-english speakers do indeed think in their own langague first and then translate it to english if they are replying.

I think in the language I am spoken to, so English or French

I CALL PREJUDICE! [sub]OK, maybe not prejudice, but you are most certainly putting people under the same banner[/sub]

I think in English all the time. Especially when I'm on the Escapist or in school.

 

[Swaki]

well while im on here or playing online i think in English, other wise its Danish (its a language not a cake).

actually thats something i think about allot, i mean I'm European so by law i have to dislike Americans, but if it wasn't for danish being a cake and gay marriage being illegal then i wouldn't have anything bad to say about you yankees.

but i don't really have a train of though, more like a 3 legged mule of thought, i often get sidetracked by simple things, i often skip a few steps which leads to some illogical conclusions and once I'm down the wrong road i get very stubborn, for an example i know you spell it "doesn't", yet every time i try i spell it dosent, thank god for FFs spelling checker.

 

[RanD00M]

I think in English all the time. Especially when I'm on the Escapist or in school.

Me too.And i pride myself in it.

 

[Cherry Cola]

I think in English all the time. Especially when I'm on the Escapist or in school.

Me too.And i pride myself in it.

Hurray for us!

We are the master race the future generation!

 

[SonicWaffle]

Non-english speakers do indeed think in their own langague first and then translate it to english if they are replying.

I think in the language I am spoken to, so English or French

Your avatar is fucking terrifying.

That is all.

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

Non-english speakers do indeed think in their own langague first and then translate it to english if they are replying.

I think in the language I am spoken to, so English or French

I CALL PREJUDICE! [sub]OK, maybe not prejudice, but you are most certainly putting people under the same banner[/sub]

I think in English all the time. Especially when I'm on the Escapist or in school.

No my dear HUBLIB, I am not doing anything besides quoting from a worthless elective course. As a bilingual person myself I can switch between two languages with ease unless suddenly caught off guard, in which case I would physically have to sort out what I heard and respond appropriately.

As for the non-english speakers part, well I am not sure how to say this simply. When I was in Australia I had the opportunity to volunteer for an ELICOS course at a university where international students scoring lower than the entry level requirements for english in an IELTS exam had to go in order to improve their english language skills. Right off the bat we were told and later saw, what major difficulties these students (mostly from china and eastern Asian countries with little to no english exposure) were facing. It was the fact that they read, understand and translate in their mother tongue and then respond in english. The clear evidence was that almost 90% of them used english to Mandarin/Cantonese dictionaries, you know the digital kind. So when we or a lecturer asked them a question they would type the english word into their dictionaries, get the respective native translation and then speak in english as a response. This is an acceptable approach normally but per the university standards it is required that student be able to respond without digital assistance to maintain conversation fluidity, but without the dictionary response times plummeted. And according to the pundits at the centre it was because they were internally translating what they hear as foreign to the familiar.

sure it's not 100%, it would vary depending on how well you knew or were familiar with the 2nd language. Bilingual speakers don't or wouldn't go through this because presumably of the familiarity issue. However, field experience and academic research (as far as psychological analysis goes) have indeed noted that non-natives speakers default to their mother tongues when comprehending a foreign language.

It's not prejudice or banner-grouping (???), it's an inference.

 

[Unknower]

Here's my train of thought:

Another point; if you think to yourself in English, does that thereby mean that people who speak other languages will think to themselves in their own language?

Uhhh... errr... ummm... wait... so you and other people don't think in Finnish? I thought all foreigners did so and that they translated the things they wanted to say to English.

What a shocking revelation!

...

Maybe not.

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

Non-english speakers do indeed think in their own langague first and then translate it to english if they are replying.

I think in the language I am spoken to, so English or French

Your avatar is fucking terrifying.

That is all.

I am glad you love it!.

*creepy bobbing face*

 

[Cherry Cola]

Non-english speakers do indeed think in their own langague first and then translate it to english if they are replying.

I think in the language I am spoken to, so English or French

I CALL PREJUDICE! [sub]OK, maybe not prejudice, but you are most certainly putting people under the same banner[/sub]

I think in English all the time. Especially when I'm on the Escapist or in school.

No my dear HUBLIB, I am not doing anything besides quoting from a worthless elective course. As a bilingual person myself I can switch between two languages with ease unless suddenly caught off guard, in which case I would physically have to sort out what I heard and respond appropriately.

As for the non-english speakers part, well I am not sure how to say this simply. When I was in Australia I had the opportunity to volunteer for an ELICOS course at a university where international students scoring lower than the entry level requirements for english in an IELTS exam had to go in order to improve their english language skills. Right off the bat we were told and later saw, what major difficulties these students (mostly from china and eastern Asian countries with little to no english exposure) were facing. It was the fact that they read, understand and translate in their mother tongue and then respond in english. The clear evidence was that almost 90% of them used english to Mandarin/Cantonese dictionaries, you know the digital kind. So when we or a lecturer asked them a question they would type the english word into their dictionaries, get the respective native translation and then speak in english as a response. This is an acceptable approach normally but per the university standards it is required that student be able to respond without digital assistance to maintain conversation fluidity, but without the dictionary response times plummeted. And according to the pundits at the centre it was because they were internally translating what they hear as foreign to the familiar.

sure it's not 100%, it would vary depending on how well you knew or were familiar with the 2nd language. Bilingual speakers don't or wouldn't go through this because presumably of the familiarity issue. However, field experience and academic research (as far as psychological analysis goes) have indeed noted that non-natives speakers default to their mother tongues when comprehending a foreign language.

It's not prejudice or banner-grouping (???), it's an inferencer.

That's a lot of text!

Yes, maybe that applies to people who aren't good at English. But I'm good at English. I'm great at English. I love this language more than I love Swedish, and I have a broader vocabulary in it.

In your example, you talk about people who failed the entry requirements for English. But what about all the people who don't fail at those tests but don't have English as their mother-tongue? I am certain that there are tons and tons of people from non-English speaking countries that think in English, because there are a huge number of people who travel to English-speaking countries to study, and therefore adapting to always speaking English.

My older sister realized that she had lost a lot of her Swedish vocabulary after studying abroad. And I, while living in Sweden, study in an English-speaking course, therefore only having English (With the exception of the Swedish-lessons of course)

 

[TehCookie]

Learning Japanese I sometimes have Japanese phrases or words but since I don't know it that well I still can't speak it. Depending on how awake I am my thoughts go at normal talking speed or very fast where I don't need a language to think I just get images or ideas that lead to another.

 

[Lullabye]

hmmm, my thought process can be confusing... But yeah the OP is right, I often find myslef arguing with myself in my head when thinking about anything. Its like having my own devils advocate.

 

[Halceon]

You should read something on cognition or the functions of language. In general, yes, people do think in a language (although that realy doesn't describe all thought processes), yes, that language may also be not english. I happen to alternate between my 4 languages depending on the language in which i learned the subject matter.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

Another point; if you think to yourself in English, does that thereby mean that people who speak other languages will think to themselves in their own language?

I'm Romanian and yet I think in English. I just do it naturally and nowadays thinking in my own language just seems weird. I could forget Romanian entirely and still be able to coherently speak and naturally understand English.

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

Non-english speakers do indeed think in their own langague first and then translate it to english if they are replying.

I think in the language I am spoken to, so English or French

I CALL PREJUDICE! [sub]OK, maybe not prejudice, but you are most certainly putting people under the same banner[/sub]

I think in English all the time. Especially when I'm on the Escapist or in school.

No my dear HUBLIB, I am not doing anything besides quoting from a worthless elective course. As a bilingual person myself I can switch between two languages with ease unless suddenly caught off guard, in which case I would physically have to sort out what I heard and respond appropriately.

As for the non-english speakers part, well I am not sure how to say this simply. When I was in Australia I had the opportunity to volunteer for an ELICOS course at a university where international students scoring lower than the entry level requirements for english in an IELTS exam had to go in order to improve their english language skills. Right off the bat we were told and later saw, what major difficulties these students (mostly from china and eastern Asian countries with little to no english exposure) were facing. It was the fact that they read, understand and translate in their mother tongue and then respond in english. The clear evidence was that almost 90% of them used english to Mandarin/Cantonese dictionaries, you know the digital kind. So when we or a lecturer asked them a question they would type the english word into their dictionaries, get the respective native translation and then speak in english as a response. This is an acceptable approach normally but per the university standards it is required that student be able to respond without digital assistance to maintain conversation fluidity, but without the dictionary response times plummeted. And according to the pundits at the centre it was because they were internally translating what they hear as foreign to the familiar.

sure it's not 100%, it would vary depending on how well you knew or were familiar with the 2nd language. Bilingual speakers don't or wouldn't go through this because presumably of the familiarity issue. However, field experience and academic research (as far as psychological analysis goes) have indeed noted that non-natives speakers default to their mother tongues when comprehending a foreign language.

It's not prejudice or banner-grouping (???), it's an inferencer.

That's a lot of text!

Yes, maybe that applies to people who aren't good at English. But I'm good at English. I'm great at English. I love this language more than I love Swedish, and I have a broader vocabulary in it.

In your example, you talk about people who failed the entry requirements for English. But what about all the people who don't fail at those tests but don't have English as their mother-tongue? I am certain that there are tons and tons of people from non-English speaking countries that think in English, because there are a huge number of people who travel to English-speaking countries to study, and therefore adapting to always speaking English.

My older sister realized that she had lost a lot of her Swedish vocabulary after studying abroad. And I, while living in Sweden, study in an English-speaking course, therefore only having English (With the exception of the Swedish-lessons of course)

I am sure those who have a stronger grasp in english will think in english, hell I do, but then again I have two first languages. However, I am part Italian but my Italian is beyond salvation. I communicate with my grandparent really slowly because I have to translate each word to english in my head before it registers a response. I have become so accustomed to this that it is almost subconscious now. But as you say I know people who can communicate directly without translation but they are almost always well fluent in english, to the point it can be considered a first language. My friend from Russia can speak fluently in english 98% of the time with only occasional points where he has to translate.

The point is not all of non-native speakers communicate directly and not all communicate indirectly. As I said before, it depends on familiarity with the languages at hand. The only point of conjecture is with people like you and your sister; if you have mastered english then it is as good as a 1st language as Swedish is in your case. Then you got to wonder if using yourself to compare non-native speakers is fair or not, especially if you command the language as a native speaker.

 

[Orcus The Ultimate]

French/spanish and some few times in english

 

[Cherry Cola]

Non-english speakers do indeed think in their own langague first and then translate it to english if they are replying.

I think in the language I am spoken to, so English or French

I CALL PREJUDICE! [sub]OK, maybe not prejudice, but you are most certainly putting people under the same banner[/sub]

I think in English all the time. Especially when I'm on the Escapist or in school.

No my dear HUBLIB, I am not doing anything besides quoting from a worthless elective course. As a bilingual person myself I can switch between two languages with ease unless suddenly caught off guard, in which case I would physically have to sort out what I heard and respond appropriately.

As for the non-english speakers part, well I am not sure how to say this simply. When I was in Australia I had the opportunity to volunteer for an ELICOS course at a university where international students scoring lower than the entry level requirements for english in an IELTS exam had to go in order to improve their english language skills. Right off the bat we were told and later saw, what major difficulties these students (mostly from china and eastern Asian countries with little to no english exposure) were facing. It was the fact that they read, understand and translate in their mother tongue and then respond in english. The clear evidence was that almost 90% of them used english to Mandarin/Cantonese dictionaries, you know the digital kind. So when we or a lecturer asked them a question they would type the english word into their dictionaries, get the respective native translation and then speak in english as a response. This is an acceptable approach normally but per the university standards it is required that student be able to respond without digital assistance to maintain conversation fluidity, but without the dictionary response times plummeted. And according to the pundits at the centre it was because they were internally translating what they hear as foreign to the familiar.

sure it's not 100%, it would vary depending on how well you knew or were familiar with the 2nd language. Bilingual speakers don't or wouldn't go through this because presumably of the familiarity issue. However, field experience and academic research (as far as psychological analysis goes) have indeed noted that non-natives speakers default to their mother tongues when comprehending a foreign language.

It's not prejudice or banner-grouping (???), it's an inferencer.

That's a lot of text!

Yes, maybe that applies to people who aren't good at English. But I'm good at English. I'm great at English. I love this language more than I love Swedish, and I have a broader vocabulary in it.

In your example, you talk about people who failed the entry requirements for English. But what about all the people who don't fail at those tests but don't have English as their mother-tongue? I am certain that there are tons and tons of people from non-English speaking countries that think in English, because there are a huge number of people who travel to English-speaking countries to study, and therefore adapting to always speaking English.

My older sister realized that she had lost a lot of her Swedish vocabulary after studying abroad. And I, while living in Sweden, study in an English-speaking course, therefore only having English (With the exception of the Swedish-lessons of course)

I am sure those who have a stronger grasp in english will think in english, hell I do, but then again I have two first languages. However, I am part Italian but my Italian is beyond salvation. I communicate with my grandparent really slowly because I have to translate each word to english in my head before it registers a response. I have become so accustomed to this that it is almost subconscious now. But as you say I know people who can communicate directly without translation but they are almost always well fluent in english, to the point it can be considered a first language. My friend from Russia can speak fluently in english 98% of the time with only occasional points where he has to translate.

The point is not all of non-native speakers communicate directly and not all communicate indirectly. As I said before, it depends on familiarity with the languages at hand. The only point of conjecture is with people like you and your sister; if you have mastered english then it is as good as a 1st language as Swedish is in your case. Then you got to wonder if using yourself to compare non-native speakers is fair or not, especially if you command the language as a native speaker.

I declare that we stop this battle of wall-of-texts

It hurts my eyes.

Truce?

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

Non-english speakers do indeed think in their own langague first and then translate it to english if they are replying.

Not really.

I don't think I even think verbally most of the time, and if I do, I just don't pay attention to the language. Either way, I'm equally skilled at English and Russian, the latter being my first language, and it's really no difference for me. There's no translation going on, even when I think in Russian and speak in English, it's instant.

If you're skilled in english then you are not the same as a non-native speaker. That may have been your origin but it doesn't put you in the same boat as someone who is still mastering the language.

Just for clarifications sake; I call anyone who is not versed in english a non-native speaker. So you could be Spanish but if you speak english as well as Spanish then you are bilingual; speaker of two languages. In which case your native language, "spanish" in this example, is at the same level as English, your adoptive language. Once this point is met (your english is as good as your native language *or* you can carry a conversation fluidly with a native english speaker) then there is little use in being seen as a non-native speaker of english.

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

*long snippy snip*I declare that we stop this battle of wall-of-texts

It hurts my eyes.

Truce?

I declare this discussion..ovaah!

Edit: not the thread..coz I am not the OP