Culture Buzz: In What Language Do You Think In Your Head?

The Thinker / Photo: WikiCommon

English is not my first language. Not a shocker there. But it is for some people who couldn't tell - and I will tell you, I've got a few many fooled without meaning to. Tap on my shoulder. "heck, got you fooled!" I can't help it. I was born and raised in Asia but I'm pretty fluent with the language and I can gab my way through a conversation without sounding soooo foreign and soooo fresh off the boat - which most "judgmental", ignorant, people think I am- just by looking at me. Tough. "Do you know English?". "Can you speak in English?" 

Right. Of course I do. Bitch.

To which I would get this "Oh wow. Your English is good!" 

I've rolled my eyes so many times, I've got the roll down to a science.

Bitch.

But you probably don't know this - but I'm telling you anyway -  that I also speak three dialects and semi-fluent with 2 other languages. I can hold 4 different conversations in 4 different languages and dialects at the same time. I have no problem keeping up and drives people nuts! Awesome right? Well, kind of.

A recent conversation with my English-speaking American, not-so-ghostly pale, sometimes gentle-giant of a husband stumped me. He asked, "What language do you think in your head before you answer?"

Huh-whaa?! The wires in my brain went berserk. I had no clue. How the fudge would I know this? Was it some kind of a trivial question that immigration would ask me at my interview. Wait. I'm already a naturalized citizen. So, obviously not for that.

Does it even matter what language goes rumbling in my head?

As it is, that one question made me very self-conscious - made my brain very self-conscious. Talk about psychotic trying to listen in on your own brain think! It's so ridiculous, it hurts! I would love to see you try it.

Wait. There is a disclaimer, it only works for the multilingual individual. Duh.

So, this crazy business is like spying on someone - except your spying on your own consciousness! I can't decide whether I'd be freak or be impressed.

It was harder than I thought. I had to be self-conscious to be conscious about my thoughts - which arguably, doesn't seem possible all. the. time.

So, did I accomplish what I started? Sort of.

It seems like my brain spit out words in mashed combination of all language/dialects it knows and get translated in whatever language or dialect I'm having in a conversation. Cool huh? It's like having google translate in my head. Click. Click. Translate.

I would be very interested in hearing from other multilinguals out there to weigh in on this "phenomena" and hear their own take:  "What language do you think in your head before you speak?"


Psst! If you like this post, please share the heck out of it. As we say here, When it's good, Share it.