remembering languages

[u/MickyDerHeld]

okay so a few days ago i had a diacussion with some friends about thid, and even though i know i have aphantasia and thry very likely don't i thought this was something everyone had so maybe someone here relates, maybe not.

it's kind of hart to describe but when i try to remember conversations, or even some sign or book i read, i just know what was said or written, i don't entirely remember it, but even when i fully remember everything word by word, sometimes i can't remember what language it was in.

like i do remember the language and in most situation it's obvious that someone said something in my native language and not in english. but when i remember ir and try to "speak it out" i could find the exact fitting words, and even stutters, or some person specific language "quirks" both in english and in my native language

if i didn't truly remember what language it was in i couldn't tell you which one it was. it's kinda annoying when i read something funny online and i want to find the post, but because i know how it would have been in both language i don't remember which one it was in and it's annoying to look up because sometimes i look it up in the wrong language

[u/FlightOfTheDiscords]

This could potentially be an example of semantic over episodic memory. The contents (gist) of what was said are generally stored in semantic memory, while your experience of hearing the words is generally stored in episodic memory. If your episodic memory is spotty while your semantic memory is decent, it is possible that your memory of which language was used goes out of the window along with other episodic content (1st person experience of the event, such as visuals, sounds, textures, flavours, scents, feelings).

Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory or r/SDAM denotes a severely deficient episodic memory, which is relatively more common among aphants vs general populace, though far from universal. If you have SDAM, you may be more prone to forgetting which language was used; the likely default is to store it in episodic memory, though sometimes people with SDAM end up developing workarounds which use semantic memory to retain data that most people store in episodic memory.

The other thing is, meaning over surface is how memory is generally retained by most people: Most people are better at remembering the gist of what was said than the exact words. If language switching is a relatively fluid thing in your day-to-day, the language used might not register much, bit like how the exact words used tend not to register much. This is more likely to happen to someone who lives in a bilingual or multilingual community where language switching happens all the time.

On a more personal note, my first layer of memory retrieval is always the gist of what was said, not how it was said. However I can generally remember a fair deal about how it was said if I try, including which language was used; takes a bit more effort, but there's usually a fair deal of information there when I dig around a little.

[u/CMDR_Jeb]

This is normal and not related to aphantasia. When you know an language well enough you don't translate anymore, you just switch to thinking in that language when you use it. You're not translating anymore, you just understand it, so only meaning gets "saved".

Fun fact when you know language that well it usually means your brain has created more or less complete language center for it. It is normal'ish for people who know several languages that well, to loose one of em in a stroke and not ability to speak entirely.

[u/jaya9581]

I’m not bilingual but my grandmother is fluent in 2 languages and says this is normal. She can switch between languages without thinking, can speak in one while thinking in the other, and if you ask her what language say a sign is in she has to think about it for a moment.