Redditors that were deaf but can now hear, what language did you think in and do you think in your verbal language today?

So instead of the canned reply that does nothing but scream "I'm an asshole," I'll actually use these to answer OP's question.

Deaf guy here. I just think visually, like with imagery and pictures. Only time when I think in sign languages is when I'm talking to another deaf people.

-comment with an AMA from /u/BrushGod who has always been deaf.

As I have mentioned before in other threads, it's all visual for me. I am not born Deaf but actually lost my hearing when I was one year old to spinal meningitis. Many of my thoughts and dreams are when I am imagining seeing myself in a 3rd person perspective doing various of things. Being a bank robber, giving an inspirational speech in front of thousand of people, or even doing my pickup art on some hot chicks. Even when I am sitting alone, mentally preparing for a big meeting where I will lead, I will be visually imagining myself standing in front of a powerpoint with all the colorful graphs and seeing the other people's faces watching me. I would think of all the lines that I am to say. Also what kind of questions I would face. It's all visual because my interpreter is involved with sign language. I have no idea what sounds sound like ...nor would I know what it sounds like for any words to be spoken to me. I have no way of imagining what a spoken word or even any type of noise. Such as knocking at the door. When I think of it happening, I visually imagine people turning their heads toward the door and then the door opens. That's how I think of what a knock sounds like.

-comment from /u/silencegold.

My two younger brothers are completely deaf. Both of them got cochlear implants around the age of 2-4. They hear fine now and speak normally but both say that they dream without sound, just pictures. Both of them often go hours at a time without hearing (they must remove the earpiece to swim in a pool or something) and they can't ever seem to explain what it feels like to have a complete lack of sound. They say they have a hard time imagining sounds inside their brains. I guess they think mostly in pictures.

-The most relevant comment I could find from /u/bobthedude56

/r/AskReddit Thread Parent