How would deaf people perceive thoughts?

Shinigami. · 08-12-2008, 09:46 PM

When a person thinks they tend to think in their own voice. if you don't have the ability to hear your own voice how would your mind perceive the thoughts that require a language.
Me and a good friend got into a creative discussion about this and could not come up with a legitimate answer.

Voice what you think.

Justananomaly · 08-12-2008, 09:55 PM

Thats something I've always wondered...

I'm assuming educated deaf people can just think words and project them in their imagery like I do (I have a mix of senses so what I think, especially numerical values, I actually vaguely see projected or with my eyes closed). And uneducated just use images?

Trap757 · 08-12-2008, 10:15 PM

iv wondered a similar question if people are blind (born blind) what do they think certain colors look like like red or green , what would they even imagine for colors , but back to the topic , maybe instead of hearing the words they see the words , for instance say your listening to you music while your playing a video game you see the words and actions but your not a focused on them because one of your sense (hearing) is being used more . but i still wonder

Justananomaly · 08-12-2008, 10:42 PM

There is a blind painter.... who paints in color even. He also understands perspective of objects (i.e. octagons) which is even more surprising.

Shinigami. · 08-12-2008, 11:27 PM

Yeah, we had thoughts om the blind and colors, but Hearing is entirely based on sound and your mind perceives and recreates sounds and bases them to thoughts like when you are thinking to yourself and you think of lets say what somebody said to you, you think in your voice or theirs depending on what you're thinking. but if you are deaf you cant perceive sound and think to yourself because you have never heard your own voice. That is to say if you were born deaf.

Locke · 08-13-2008, 05:36 AM

Well, those who were born deaf would think with whatever other senses they had, however they communicated. Those not born deaf would likely still think in words. So, if someone born deaf communicated through sign language, they might think in sing language, imagining how their muscles acted to make a sign. Those who communicate in braile may think in braile dots. I suspect they think very much like a baby who has not yet learned words at all; babies do, however, know words before they learn how to speak.

MasterSprtn117 · 08-13-2008, 09:02 AM

I've thought about this, and I think they just think in whatever way of communication they learned first.

Also slightly unrelated, but I've been wondering this. Let's say that a person's native language is English, but they go to Germany and learn to read, write, and speak German fluently. Do they still think in English?

nothsa89 · 08-13-2008, 09:05 AM

Deaf people SEE the sounds, so when they think, they are seeing objects in the same way we are hearing them. So for them, thought is not auditory, but rather, visual... Emah! (wink!)

Locke · 08-13-2008, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterSprtn117

I've thought about this, and I think they just think in whatever way of communication they learned first.

Also slightly unrelated, but I've been wondering this. Let's say that a person's native language is English, but they go to Germany and learn to read, write, and speak German fluently. Do they still think in English?

Well, people can think in any method of communication available to them, but I think our default language is the one we think in; whichever one we learned and use. I don't know, perhaps if one used one language to the exclusion of another, they might begin to think in that language instead.

Shinigami. · 08-13-2008, 03:08 PM

Thanks for all of the thoughts on this.

Netrix · 08-13-2008, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

Well, people can think in any method of communication available to them, but I think our default language is the one we think in; whichever one we learned and use. I don't know, perhaps if one used one language to the exclusion of another, they might begin to think in that language instead.

I think that people usually think in the language that they know best, which is usually their native language. It is generally hard for a person to go to another country and learn a different language so that they know that language better than their first one.

Locke · 08-13-2008, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Netrix

I think that people usually think in the language that they know best, which is usually their native language. It is generally hard for a person to go to another country and learn a different language so that they know that language better than their first one.

Difficult, but possible and maybe even necessary, in some cases. I imagine if someone was doing espionage in a foreign country, they'd have to know the language so well they could think in it without any extra thought.

theotherone · 08-18-2008, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Netrix

I think that people usually think in the language that they know best, which is usually their native language. It is generally hard for a person to go to another country and learn a different language so that they know that language better than their first one.

Actually, did you know that before the age of twelve, the brain is hard-wired to learn languages? If you learn a second language before twelve, it is possible to learn to speak it like a native. In fact, I had a teacher from Spain who told me that her daughter was a toddler when they came to the U.S., and since she was so young she was able to pick up English in three weeks! During puberty, the changes in the brain make it a little harder. At this point, you're absolutely right; a person can only learn to speak another language natively if they are gifted for languages. And as a person who has been trying to learn Spanish for a very long time, I can tell you that sometimes you think or even dream in a second language.

Anyway, back to topic: Wouldn't you all agree that we don't always think in words? I know that at least for myself, sometimes I think faster than I could put things into words, and it's more like a stream of pure thought than anyhing else. Sometimes you can't even put thoughts into words at all. I'm not deaf, but I assume that we share this with those that are. As for slower thought, the thoughts that to the hearing world would be put into our internal "voice," I would have to agree with those who said that the deaf wuld think in their language, though I have no idea what that would be like.

MasterSprtn117 · 08-18-2008, 01:57 PM

Braille?

leefy008 · 08-18-2008, 02:23 PM

well think about this, with colors people may see different colors differently. like how i see red may be different from how you see red my red may be your green cuz theres no way to compare the two

08-12-2008, 09:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
Shinigami. Resident zB Death God Retired Staff Expert Zuner Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Next to Putis in Sexyland Posts: 3,486 Reputation: 787	How would deaf people perceive thoughts? When a person thinks they tend to think in their own voice. if you don't have the ability to hear your own voice how would your mind perceive the thoughts that require a language. Me and a good friend got into a creative discussion about this and could not come up with a legitimate answer. Voice what you think. __________________ putis.

08-12-2008, 10:15 PM	#3 (permalink)
Trap757 Experienced Zuner Join Date: May 2008 Location: In Da South Posts: 209 Reputation: 10	iv wondered a similar question if people are blind (born blind) what do they think certain colors look like like red or green , what would they even imagine for colors , but back to the topic , maybe instead of hearing the words they see the words , for instance say your listening to you music while your playing a video game you see the words and actions but your not a focused on them because one of your sense (hearing) is being used more . but i still wonder __________________ ''You look like a cholo on easter''. Knocked Up

08-12-2008, 11:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
Shinigami. Resident zB Death God Retired Staff Expert Zuner Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Next to Putis in Sexyland Posts: 3,486 Reputation: 787	Yeah, we had thoughts om the blind and colors, but Hearing is entirely based on sound and your mind perceives and recreates sounds and bases them to thoughts like when you are thinking to yourself and you think of lets say what somebody said to you, you think in your voice or theirs depending on what you're thinking. but if you are deaf you cant perceive sound and think to yourself because you have never heard your own voice. That is to say if you were born deaf. __________________ putis.

08-13-2008, 09:02 AM	#7 (permalink)
MasterSprtn117 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Dallas, Tx Posts: 657 Reputation: 27	I've thought about this, and I think they just think in whatever way of communication they learned first. Also slightly unrelated, but I've been wondering this. Let's say that a person's native language is English, but they go to Germany and learn to read, write, and speak German fluently. Do they still think in English? __________________

08-13-2008, 03:08 PM	#10 (permalink)
Shinigami. Resident zB Death God Retired Staff Expert Zuner Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Next to Putis in Sexyland Posts: 3,486 Reputation: 787	Thanks for all of the thoughts on this. __________________ putis.

08-13-2008, 09:05 AM	#8 (permalink)
nothsa89 Squirt Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 22 Reputation: 10	Deaf people SEE the sounds, so when they think, they are seeing objects in the same way we are hearing them. So for them, thought is not auditory, but rather, visual... Emah! (wink!)

08-18-2008, 01:57 PM	#14 (permalink)
MasterSprtn117 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Dallas, Tx Posts: 657 Reputation: 27	Braille? __________________

08-18-2008, 02:23 PM	#15 (permalink)
leefy008 Jr. Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: dc Posts: 438 Reputation: 18	well think about this, with colors people may see different colors differently. like how i see red may be different from how you see red my red may be your green cuz theres no way to compare the two __________________ VERTIGO PROCESS PRODUCTIONS: WE PROUCE MOVIES!

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