Naked Science Forum
On the Lighter Side => New Theories => Topic started by: Andyyy on 27/02/2009 22:42:07
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OK, so my theory is, that when humans think they think to themselves in their native language, like talking to themselves in their head, and everything you do, you think of in your native language in your head first. So babies must have some kind of language that they think in. And I'm aware that they can understand language before they can speak it, but even very young babies must have some kind of thought.... So perhaps babies speak some kind of language given to them by the brain at birth, perhaps before it's somewhat 'tainted' by the language that will be spoken all around them. Perhaps if this kind of 'brain code' does exist as a language scientists could comprehend it and use it for all kind of insights into the workings of the human mind, who knows what results it could yield. But still, it's just a theory, your thoughts? [???]
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Was 'your thoughts' meant to be a pun!? [:D]
If I was a baby.... I don't think I need to think.
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I suspect that language is not necessary. It is just a way of organizing thoughts. To me it seems that I visualize a happening before I even start to make words for it.
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This baby knows all about thinking.
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi76.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fj30%2FSimply_Sid%2Forly.gif&hash=2dca854818967a7c9f2f7a40771ea03a)
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oh.....Daniels baby piccy ! LOL...
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As far as I understand it, we don't actually think in words unless we are replaying or rehearsing conversations. Our thoughts are more likely to be images or series of images than words. Very young babies tend to focus visually on things that stand out (lights, contrasting shapes/colours) or on facial features, so I imagine their thoughts are more along the lines of making sense of what they're seeing, hearing and feeling than words. From my experience with my daughter, tone of voice is more important with a baby than what you're actually saying, which would seem to indicate that words are secondary in a baby's thoughts to sensory input.
I hope that made some sort of sense...
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Most people who speak more than one language with some fluency would not necessarily agree that they 'think' in their native tongue.
Even I express some things to myself directly in French, without translation.
I also work out some problems 'in spoken English' in my head. I understood that babies have the basic requirements of grammar when they're born. Any teaching we think we're giving them about language is only details like specific vocabulary.
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I think the original post has things the wrong way round.
Babies clearly think- otherwise they couldn't learn.
However babies have no language.
Therefore you do not need a language to think in.
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I might suggest that their effective thinking power increases as their use of language (or other communication method) also increases.
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A baby is always "experiencing". They experience colors and sounds. Eventually they begin to hear, feel, and taste. I'm pretty sure that during this vital period of brain development, the child does not have the functional capacity to have any inward-related thoughts, since everything is conveyed outward (ie "i'm hungry" = cry for mom, "i'm hurt" = cry for mom, etc.)
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I would like to add my comment
I have exceptional memory of my childhood and can remember asking myself (in my mind) why people couldn't understand me. This was before I was 18 months old and the age has been varified by my mother as I was still in my cot at the time.
Also the fact is if babies dont understand language then how would they ever learn to speak it.
I get annoyed when you hear mothers say "Oh dont worry about the baby, he's too young to understand"
When my daughter was 6 months old, she cried and cried and I had no idea what the matter was. I said out loud to her "just tell me what you want" immediatly She pointed with her finger into her mouth. (She was my first - I have more experience now) but the fact is she understood me at 6 months old.
So whether it is english spanish or other I'm sure a baby knows exactly what you are talking about just like a dog knows to sit or stay when told in any language after being trained in only one language.