When we 'think' is it our voice that we hear? if so what 'voice' do deaf people hear when they think?

Answer 1

My educated guess as a linguist would be that there is no need to think 'in voices' for d/Deaf people.

If a d/Deaf person has learned a sign language (e.g. British Sign Language, American Sign Language, German Sign Language) then this person is very likely to think in signs as well!

I'm sure it's the same when some people stop thinking in one language and start thinking (also dreaming!) in another. That was the case for me when I moved to Britain.

Answer 2

a real nice question .. you got me to actually stop and think about that for the first time ever !! i guess they hear the same thing ..because their are deaf people can speak and they know the words so .. i guess they hear it too ... but again what about the deaf people who can't speak and actually don't know what words are and ... oh my god.. can you imagine how they live all their life without hearing any voice...any voice at all !! the voice of their mother when they were young...the voice of their lover when they got one .. they don't know what music is !! that is sooo sad :(

Answer 3

When people 'think' they don't necessarily hear a voice.
I would suggest we can 'think' using images, smells, touch, taste, sound.
A deaf person, by definition, cannot hear a voice.

But this begs the question 'How do deaf people listen to their conscience?'
Of course they cannot 'listen', they must follow.


I hope that helps... It took me ages to come up with that answer!
:)

Answer 4

They don't hear any voice when they think. I asked my teacher, who is Deaf, and she told me that she thinks in signs or in written words.

Answer 5

I have worked with deaf people and they hear differently than people who can hear. They hear through sound waves and lip reading. In their head they hear just as they talk.

Answer 6

I don't think that we always think with words, so I don't think that would be a problem for deaf people.

Answer 7

i think this is a really interesting quesrion and one which i have thought about a lot. i do think you hear your own thoughts as you would talk them, but then that leaves questions about what dumb people hear or think like? i lived in spain for a year and a half and never started thinking in spanish, my thoughts had to be translated, so i think its a very important aspect.

Answer 8

I don't know about you, but I don't hear a "voice" when I think...at all. Unless you're thinking aloud or you're just psycho.