Default Language

Did you know that your mind operates in a default language, and that this language can change? I noticed it when I travelled to the United States. My mind, usually operating in German, switched over to English as default language, to that extend that I had a hard time expressing everyday things in German since the English expression came to my mind first, and I literally needed to translate it before speaking. Although there were still situations where I suddenly talked German to someone who didn't know German, usually right after waking up whenever my last dream had been in German, English became my mind's number one language to turn to.

Even after a few days back in Germany, I still notice that my mind wants to give me the English version of a sentence first, and then reluctantly translates it for me. It went so far that I told my dad something in English, and realised it after the fact...or that I want to say something, and an English word or two slips out in between, and I have to pause and think about it before starting the sentence anew completely in German.

Since I know my mind can reset its default language to the more prevalent language, I'm just waiting for it to happen again; however, I'm curious to see how long it will take me this time. It happened pretty fast when I switched from German to English at the beginning of my stay.

Even the notes I take are mostly in English (usually, they are a wild mix of both languages). I still write dates the American way (month/day/year), which may well cause irritation and confusion among other Germans, so I really try to remind myself to use the German layout whenever I date something others might have to read. It's really weird right now, but I guess that's what you get for being bilingual and travelling between two countries....

Have you had similar, or completely different, experiences? I would love to hear all about it! You can use the comments function, or if you like, you can send me an email and maybe we can set you up for a guest blog post with your opinion.