Pre-Speech Thought
Uploaded by bbyoshi714 on Dec 13, 2000
Speech is defined as the use of audible words and/or sounds to communicate. But doesn’t it involve much more? This is where what I call pre-speech thoughts comes into play. In any normal person, much thought goes into what they say or do, since very rarely do people talk just to communicate. People talk with a given motive in mind, be it to obtain, impress, or to pass time. However, when people speak, they prepare themselves ahead of time within their mind. They prepare their phrases, predict what the other person would say or how they would respond, and prepare answers or phrases in a way fitting each of the predicted responses the other person could have, all before the speaking even begins.
Take the following example into mind:
A boy sees a girl who is attractive to him and of course would like to speak to, and perhaps, court her. Through his head run many phrases that he has perhaps heard elsewhere or formulated on his own. Before even approaching her he plans his actions: will he say “hi”, “hello”, “what’s up”, or a similar greeting. He then decides whether or not he will continue the action and follow up with a way to connect with the girl in some way with a phrase such as “My name is [ ] what’s your name?” or “Do you come here often?” The boy predicts her answers and formulates responses accordingly. If she says, “Yes, I come here all the time,” he will say “Really, me too, but I haven’t seen you here before.” But if she says “No, not really,” he will say “Oh, are you from around here?” or a similar response. He will then plan to try to find a connection, and given her response, he will try to expand on it. For example, is she says “yes”, he might ask, “Do you live close?” and try to expand on that phrase in engage in conversation. All this occurs before he even approaches the girl, although some people might plan to different levels, all people do indeed plan.
If he knew the girl came to the same place every weekend, he might plan for days without knowing it. I don’t mean in an obsessive way, but in a nonchalant way, just a few days before the weekend. He might even subconsciously prepare physically for the meeting by “dressing up” or putting...