Thinking

[gaz_farr]

My wind was wandering and got on to thinking about thinking.

I was quite aware that when thinking things in my head I think in English. But... how do deaf people think? They don't know what english (or any other language) sounds like so how do their thought processes work. Do they think in sign language?!

odd question i know!

[dilligaf]

The same applies to a muti linguist, what language do they think in ?

I am from London and think with a London accent, does someone from Durham think in Geordie?

[snook]

I sometimes find it useful to think in the voice of someone relevant, someone I think would 'know the answer'. For example, if I need to get motivated or get the job done, I might use the voice of a well-known tough guy actor (Arnie maybe, or Sean Connery), of if I'm pondering a health problem I use the voice of someone who deals with that kind of problem (e.g. a doctor, even if it's only a TV doctor, such as Anton Meyer - the actor George Irving has a wonderful voice - if I had that voice I'd be a very successful hypnotherapist, with a voice like that how could anyone resist your suggestions!).

I find that when I think in the voice of that other person, I seem to know what he knows (it's only imaginary, but it often works).

Actually, since thinking is a function of the brain, and yet is not connected to it (it can't easily be located, and seems to happen 'out there somewhere'), perhaps we can actually sometimes connect with others, rather in the way we can link to a website by pointing our browsers at an address (as though we're making our computers 'think' they want to connect to a particular website). So maybe we're all potentially connected, like websites, and thinking about someone, or using their voice to think, latches onto them in much the same way - it gives our brain the other person's brain's 'address'. And although most computers are connected to the system by cables, they can connect wirelessly, and of course all radio and TV transmission is done that way, so the idea of brains connecting through the ether isn't as way out as you might think.

There, that's ESP sorted... next question!

[Trojanfarce]

awesome question! love to know the answer to this myself

[Space]

I think you just mix up sound, language and thought.
When you think, you don't actually need to mentally reformulate your ideas by making sentences and hearing them in your head...

well maybe you personnally do, but I don't think it's a requirement...

If you were multilinguist, you would "think" in the language of the people who gave you something to think about or who expects you to report to them when you have a solution...

[cliffsdoll]

i dont like to think too much' it hurts my brain

[smorodina]

It was quite a surprise to me the day I first thought in another language. I had been learning for a couple of years and was spending time living in the country concerned. As I was using the language every day, there came a point where I started to construct the ideas in my head in that language. I guess seeing your ideas in your mind as signs and not words would not be so different.

[dove]

brilliant question gaz-farr, i would love to know the answer to this!

[dove]

I asked a friend of mine what they thought of this question and they replied that deaf people can read and therefore can think in whatever language! good answer I thought!