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Well, actually more than how you put it, its actually the language people use INSIDE OF THEIR BRAIN that matters. An average person, talks to himself multiple

Well, actually more than how you put it, its actually the language people use INSIDE OF THEIR BRAIN that matters. An average person, talks to himself multiple times in a day, evaluating decisions, simulating how things are/should be, thinking about course of action etc etc. This is done in a language, which often ends up as mother tongue to the outside world. But the missing link here is the mental stamina. The brain has a native locale language, but if the information is coming in any other language, which needs to be understood (decoded) first into the locale language, it consumes stamina & time. But in the case of it being actually in the language in brain's native language, less time & stamina would be consumed in the same conversation, and more time and stamina would be left for actual thinking/analysis/evaluation/etc.. leading to better understanding between people. Peace!

beefsack 13y ago
Nearly all thought processes deal in abstract concepts directly without being wrapped in language. Language is a transport mechanism for sharing these abstract concepts from one one brain to another, not for processing in the mind. The idea that there is a "mother tongue" of your thoughts is a common misconception. You can consciously think about speech and language, but it's an exception to how your brain usually operates.
thaumasiotes 13y ago
> An average person, talks to himself multiple times in a day, evaluating decisions, simulating how things are/should be, thinking about course of action etc etc. > This is done in a language Why do you believe this?
- hrktb 13y ago
  beefsack's comment and yours are surprising. I thought it was fairly intuitive notion, and generally accepted that language provides the basic concept and structure for thoughts. Basically the Saphir-Whorf theory [1]. There surely must be a base layer that doesn't rely on language, but anything most of the time we are handling higher level problems. This is a theory, but most bi/tri-langual people I talked to experienced some kind of shift in their way of modeling their thought, sometimes relying on a concept only existing in a specific language (that's what makes the reliance on the language obvious). [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity
  - _glass 13y ago
    Yes, it is strange. I am a native German speaker, but my thoughts are strongly dependent on what I am thinking about. As I am reading most of the CS or philosophy books in English they are naturally thought of in English. Family and so on in German. And everything about daily life in Turkish (as I am living right now in Istanbul). On the other hand when I read a French novel my mind is switching completely back to French. Despite the fact that I am aware there should be a layer closer to the metal or irrespective the brain tissue, I can't really think of it without relying well on a language.

beefsack 13y ago

Nearly all thought processes deal in abstract concepts directly without being wrapped in language. Language is a transport mechanism for sharing these abstract concepts from one one brain to another, not for processing in the mind. The idea that there is a "mother tongue" of your thoughts is a common misconception. You can consciously think about speech and language, but it's an exception to how your brain usually operates.

thaumasiotes 13y ago

> An average person, talks to himself multiple times in a day, evaluating decisions, simulating how things are/should be, thinking about course of action etc etc. > This is done in a language Why do you believe this?

hrktb 13y ago
beefsack's comment and yours are surprising. I thought it was fairly intuitive notion, and generally accepted that language provides the basic concept and structure for thoughts. Basically the Saphir-Whorf theory [1]. There surely must be a base layer that doesn't rely on language, but anything most of the time we are handling higher level problems. This is a theory, but most bi/tri-langual people I talked to experienced some kind of shift in their way of modeling their thought, sometimes relying on a concept only existing in a specific language (that's what makes the reliance on the language obvious). [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity
- _glass 13y ago
  Yes, it is strange. I am a native German speaker, but my thoughts are strongly dependent on what I am thinking about. As I am reading most of the CS or philosophy books in English they are naturally thought of in English. Family and so on in German. And everything about daily life in Turkish (as I am living right now in Istanbul). On the other hand when I read a French novel my mind is switching completely back to French. Despite the fact that I am aware there should be a layer closer to the metal or irrespective the brain tissue, I can't really think of it without relying well on a language.