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Can bilinguals think in both languages?

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Reply 40
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rambapa
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Original post by StationToStation
Yep! I speak a bit of Spanish and German too but definitely not enough for me to think in either.


So I'm guessing you think in Finnish as it's your strongest language. English and Swedish were learnt early enough, so you can think in them. Now it's too late to acquire another language well, critical period hypothesis in action.

Do you ever mix your languages when thinking?
Reply 41
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eu.ad
Thought is conceptual, you don't really think the same way you speak. The culture you come from might affect the way you think and what you think about but thinking and speaking are separate processes.

As someone who is bilingual, I don't think in any language.
Reply 42
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rambapa
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Original post by eu.ad
Thought is conceptual, you don't really think the same way you speak. The culture you come from might affect the way you think and what you think about but thinking and speaking are separate processes.

As someone who is bilingual, I don't think in any language.


We know that, but language maps to concepts. So people can think in language if they want, rather than pictures.

Though pictures are more efficient to think in.
Reply 43
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Original post by rayestar
japanese is my mother tongue and I began learning English when I was 4


Do you live in the UK or japan?
Somethings I think in c++.
Original post by rambapa
So I'm guessing you think in Finnish as it's your strongest language. English and Swedish were learnt early enough, so you can think in them. Now it's too late to acquire another language well, critical period hypothesis in action.

Do you ever mix your languages when thinking?


Yeah, could be. I do do that pretty often. :smile:
Reply 46
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Original post by XOR_
Somethings I think in c++.


Why not Java
Reply 47
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Original post by rambapa
Do you live in the UK or japan?


uk, wbu?
Reply 49
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rambapa
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Original post by rayestar
uk, wbu?


So how do you know Japanese, parents speak it? Yeah, UK as well.

So you can keep switching your thinking between English and Japanese? Or do you think in English, your stronger language, but can think in Japanese if you wanted to?
Original post by rambapa
Are you Dutch as well?


Nah just born here, speak english at home and spoke it at school too
Yes very easy to slip into both languages ,mentally.
Original post by rambapa
So how do you know Japanese, parents speak it? Yeah, UK as well.

So you can keep switching your thinking between English and Japanese? Or do you think in English, your stronger language, but can think in Japanese if you wanted to?


Yeah my grandparents spoke japanese to me, whilst my parents were busy with work when I was little.
Then I learnt English when I came to primary skl (it was tough learning English fluently!)
I think I'm stronger in my English now, but I still speak and think in japanese normally cos japanese used to be my stronger point when i was little. But of course, since my english has overtaken the japanese, I can think in English as well! :biggrin:

I guess I have a good balance between the 2.
Reply 53
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Original post by rayestar
Yeah my grandparents spoke japanese to me, whilst my parents were busy with work when I was little.
Then I learnt English when I came to primary skl (it was tough learning English fluently!)
I think I'm stronger in my English now, but I still speak and think in japanese normally cos japanese used to be my stronger point when i was little. But of course, since my english has overtaken the japanese, I can think in English as well! :biggrin:

I guess I have a good balance between the 2.


Interesting! I would have thought you would think in English 99% of the time, since your English is stronger. Do you remember switching from thinking in Japanese to thinking in English?
I am trilingual. Bengali, English and German. I always think in English because I find it easier. Recently, I tried thinking in German (it has been 3 years learning German) and tbh I think that it is a great way to increase your vocab but at one point it gets really tiring.
Original post by rambapa
Interesting! I would have thought you would think in English 99% of the time, since your English is stronger. Do you remember switching from thinking in Japanese to thinking in English?


it's like when im alone, I think in japanese more, but when im with my friends i think in english.

lol there was this one time when i was thinking in japanese and my friend suddenly came to me to ask a question, then i accidentally answered in japanese for half of the sentence haha :colondollar:

so i find it easier to separate my english and japanese thoughts between home and outside :biggrin:
Reply 56
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Original post by Didyousaysenpai
I am trilingual. Bengali, English and German. I always think in English because I find it easier. Recently, I tried thinking in German (it has been 3 years learning German) and tbh I think that it is a great way to increase your vocab but at one point it gets really tiring.


What age did you learn those 3 languages?
Original post by rambapa
What age did you learn those 3 languages?


Bengali is my mother tongue. I started learning English at the same time as Bengali. Started learning German when I was 13. Yay now I'm doing the intermediate level.
Reply 58
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Original post by Didyousaysenpai
Bengali is my mother tongue. I started learning English at the same time as Bengali. Started learning German when I was 13. Yay now I'm doing the intermediate level.


So to be honest you can think in Bengali and English. Your German can't be that good if you started at 13.
Reply 59
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