Havaldaar

I recently heard someone say that they think in English, and that really solved a few things. Ive always had a hard time explaining to people, that although I speak fluent Hindi and my parents speak in Hindi with me, why do I begin a conversation in English, and this fellows statement really solved that dilemma. I realized that at some point I started thinking in English.Now Im slightly depressed...


Does anyone else have this...er...thingymajig?

bogororo

I might be the fellow who said that
English is my thinking-language for about half of the time here in Romania - when I don't have to deal with Romanian, that is. I suppose it is a normal part of adjustment to another culture (first I wanted to say foreign, but on the second thought...).
Certainly, this can be a little depressing - you feel like being on the edge in both cultures. But, studying abroad is per se kind of an auto-exile, so it's not like we did not know what we were getting into.
On the other hand, look at the bright side - you can make the best of both worlds/cultures. We are truly (on the verge of becoming) world citizens, bounded by no particular state. Sure, belonging to a culture is a great refuge for some - it gives them the means to define themselves, against the "others". But they're just sprockets in a system - be that system India, the US or Romania. We have the great opportunity of keeping the outsider's detached point of view.

sucharita

I think (and dream) in English too. i think maybe this is because my parents are from different communities and have different mother tongues and so English was the common language for communication at home.

Havaldaar

For me its probably because Im in a nuclear family, and since I shifted to Bombay my social life revolves around me mates, all of whom converse in English.Also the idiot box must contribute somewhat...

cres

I started partly thinking in English by grade 9, it helped a lot, otherwise the translation and re-translation is a tedious process making your written work mundane, secondly if there is a text in a third language other than your mother tongue and English, and you translate it to both English and your own language, you understand the stuff in a comprehensive manner with a broad perspective.... it works like magic!
well not really, but changing the default language for thinking is often very rewarding !

crimson4me

Here's another question:

Do you feel as if you don't know either language as if its your first language?
I often feel the need to use both languages I speak at the same time because that's the only way I can express myself properly

bogororo

crimson4me, I agree. Not only me, but also many friends who are not going to study abroad actually use both our native language and English to express ourselves better.
Actually, I feel like I know Romanian as a native language, with all the affective relationships between words only a native speaker could understand. But English, and German to a large extent, actually allow me to think in slightly different ways than in Romanian.
A presumably famous person (I forgot her name, of course) once said "To know another language is to have another soul". I guess it`s true!

crimson4me

Totally true.....
Although I somethimes think that people who speak only one language are much better off. Don't know why...

Anokhi

Hmm, I always think in English...
Always, except when I get really ****ed off a Hindi 'galli' can slip out in my mind...
Hindi curses are soo much cooler... haha, no seriously!

But yeah, I do sometimes mix both the languages, in conversation...
but who here doesn't??

Havaldaar

Its difficult to convert what you're thinking in English to Hindi, because of the difference in what the lanuages are meant to potray. For example, there might be a word in English which exists because the people who made that word, had that type of minset,but for the creators of Hindi, that word won't exist, because that word was inconsequential as their outlook on life was different.

For example, English allows you to tell the time in detail, because it mattered for the people who spoke it. Whereas native american languages wont allow one to tell time with such detail, because for the natives time doesn't matter so much.
I got these ideas from a previous SAT critical reading passage.

Havaldaar

i got another example. In Hindi we have words for all our relatives, nana,nani, phoopha, maami, masi...etc. But in English there's only uncle, aunt, grandfather... Its cuz we give importance to relations whereas Englishmen might not. This is also the reason why we tend to slip in words from our mothertongues.

astrix

sab uncle aunty kyu hote hai ye batao mujhe :d

sucharita

not true astrix - here in Bong land we use the vernacular words - atleast I do

mercurysquad

so i tend to think in either of the languages, but mostly english. especially when i'm in a powerful emotional state, english seems more natural. ask me to translate english->hindi and i might take an hour. ask me to translate hindi->english and it will be done in a snap... even though im *supposed* to be well versed in either.. got exactly equal (high) grades in 10th boards...thats my (sad) story. :-/ though i dont have a particular like for the language itself since its so.. "daily", I kinda like the devnagari script. have even set my phone's menu to hindi for that

btw such a relevant question, astrix.

i'llbeback

i always think in english... dunno why but ever since i'v been a kid iv always thought in english. i guess cos i went to english medium schools and all my friends also speak english.

the only ime i think in hindi is when i get really mad and i want to abuse, as has aleady been pointed out..
my hindi's terrible infact, when i speak it, it comes out in a broken stutter- despite my clearly forming sentences in hindi in my head..