1.3. Внутренняя речь

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thinking activity of man is inner speech, i.e. silent speech processes about which we rather judge by introspection than by objective neurophysiological data.

But already one hundred years ago the Russian neurophysiology in works by Setchenov put forward the idea of “brain reflexes” and referred to them all forms of thinking, concrete as well as abstract and symbolic. The latter forms of thinking Setchenov connected with “silent speech”, i.e.

organs of speech to the brain and due to which we get the integration of

soundless movements of the organs of speech. He was sure that in this case speech functions in the formАof speech kinesthesis which pass from the

various sensor impressions in complex (abstract and generalized) concepts.

It should be also pointed out that Setchenov and Pavlov’s laying stress

on the integrating and controlling role integrating and controlling role of speechиkinesthetic in the thinking processes did not mean the reduction of thinking certain peripherical (muscle) processes, as it was admitted by some supporters of behaviour psychology. For reflex theory thinking is a central, brain process, the working up sensor data by the speech systems of the brain taking in the back influences on the brain of the kinesthetic signals, including

Сspeech kinesthetic.

The psychophysiological problem here lies mainly in the investigation of the way speech kinesthetic functions and becomes the transmitter and carrier of the necessary for thinking semantic information, and in this case we can speak of inner speech as a mechanism of thinking.

The semantic aspect of inner speech in Soviet psychology was highlighted in derail by Vygotsky and later on by Blonsky and Ananjev. In their works it was stated that inner speech has many specific features as compared to external speech. Inner speech is reduced both lexically and

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grammatically. At the same time it is very determined by the situation and has many elements of the “yet to be said” and the implied.

The logic of inner speech is the logic of enthymemes. It has also been noticed that in inner speech in many cases occurs the substitution of visual symbols for verbal statements. Later on Zhinkin called this process the “re-

The first experimental investigations of inner speech in our country were made with the help of the methods of speech and non-speech hindrances which keep back the soundless articulation of word. Lourua’s experiments in the artificial detention of articulation of people suffering from aphasia were very interesting in this aspect. These experiments proved that already the mechanical detention of articulation (for Дexample the suppression of the tongue between the teeth) creates considerable difficulties in the thinking operations of writing and counting, hinders the perception, understanding and the memorizing of words, phrases and figures. With the intensification out articulation by way of speaking out the words loudly these difficulties lessened. A like phenomenonАwas observed during the first steps of children’s mastering “the 3 R’s” (experiments by Nazarova and Kadotchkin).

But in my experiments on normal adults the mechanical detention of articulation did not cause such large defects. It’s natural to suppose that in this case soundlessбarticulation took place as well. Yet in another variant of the same kind of experiments on adults soundless articulation was successfully suppressed to some extent. This was observed in the cases when the subjects were asked to pronounce out loud memorized verses and at the same timeиto listen and memorize various texts read by a dictor.

This is what was observed: in the first experiments the subject underwent something like “sensory aphasia” in the stage when separate words are understood but not the meaning of the phrase as a whole. Then with the adaptation to speech hindrances this experimental aphasia is Сreplaced by “momentary amnesia” - an extremely fast forgetting of the speech listened to. It was explicitly expressed in a very fragmentary reproduction of the text. But in the further experiments the amnesia also disappeared. This was achieved by using micropauses in speech jammings

for the inner articulation of some “generalizing” or “basic” words.

Great interest presents the supposition of the results of the experiments with speech jammings with the data of electrophysiological registration of the tonus of speech muscles.

Bearing in mind Jacobson and Max’s well-know experiments firstly registering electromyographic reactions in inner speech, several Soviet

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laboratories held new investigations in electromyograms of inner speech (experiments by Jusevich, Bassin and Bein, Novikova and mine) which fully correspond to the data of the Scandinavian investigators (Faaborg-Andersen and Edfeldt).

In my experiments muscle tension of the tongue and lips with the help of surface electrodes was registered. The tension of the forehead muscle and hand muscles, skin galvanic reaction (SGR) and the reaction of the depression of alpha-rhythm (EEG) was registered for control. The electroactivity of the muscles was measured both by the maximum and average (integrated) indexes and showed the percentage to the level of “background”

(“rest”) or immediately in microvolt’s.

instructions the electroactivityАof speechДmuscles increased by 10-15 microvolt’s and бwith further implementation of mental tasks the electroactivity grew ever more making 50 or more microvolts.

The subject’s (students and juniors) were given verbal and non-verbal tests. Most of them were: “Mental arithmetic’s”, a silent reading of the texts in native and foreign language, listening and memorizing of extracts from fiction and scientific literature. Raven’s Progressive Matrices were taken as

2. The speech moving impulsation is not stable – it can increase and decrease depending on a number of factors, such as: a) the difficulty and noveltyиof the mental activities performed, b)the stage of automation of mental activities, c)the including of visual aids in mental activity (visual perceptions). When solving “difficult” problems the speech moving impulsation increases, when solving “easy” ones – the speech moving impulsation decreases. The decrease of speech moving impulsation can also

Сbe observed when solving very difficult problems, when the subjects at last refuse to solve them.

3. One of the most important factors of the dynamics of inner speech is its “quantum” property. At the moment of mental activity the speech moving impulsation is not continuous but in interrupted “flashes” or groups of “flashes” of different intensity, separated one from another by rather big intervals. Besides that, a gradual increase of muscle tension has been stated, not only in speech but also in non-speech muscles (for example the forehead and arm muscles). This has already been stated in the Canadian investigations (Smith, Malmo and Shagass; Bartoshuk; Wallerstein).

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4. The appearing of interrupted impulsations on the background of the increased general tension of the muscles allows us to speak about the existence of two different but interconnected components in the speech EMG: tonical (generalized) and phasic (local). At the same time the tonical component can be considered as the diffusional tension of the speech

mechanisms while the phasic component most probably is connected with the “specific” speech reaction (the inner articulation of Иwords or subvocal

speech). We can also point out that during the process of perception and visual mentality the prevailing component is the tonical reaction, and during the process of mental reasoning – interrupted phasic reaction.

5. Proceeding from the fact that the speech moving impulsation appears not only in the verbal process but also in the processДof visual activity we can make the following conclusion: thinking in any case is connected with the language although in some moments or phases of decisions (especially when solving visual problems) the speech moving impulsation can be hindered. But that does not mean that in the latter case we have an unjustified assumption, because it would be based on the impossible isolation of one phaseАof thinking from another. At the same time these data show that it is impossible to identify thinking with speech, because thinking is composed not only of speech, but also of non-speech phase of activity, connected with accumulation of sensory information. Hence, a constant interaction of subjectmatter and speech informationбtakes place, which was described by Pavlov as the interaction of the first (subject-matter) and the second (speech) signal systems.

6. The given facts, as we think, give us the right to consider the speech moving impulsation not only as a result of the passive “ideomotor act” in which,иas James put it, the idea of moving involuntary calls the movement, but what is more important, also as a psychological mechanism active, voluntary control of mental processes with the help of kinesthesis of inner speech. This mechanism operates according to the principle of “feed-back”, in some cases it increases (as a resonator), in other on the contrary decreases

С(as a brake) the stimulation of speech parts of the brain and so it regulates the neurodynamics of mental processes connected with them.

In conclusion it is necessary to point out that the studying of the mechanisms of inner speech may have not only theoretical, but also practical significance, first of all in the field of the development of silent reading and written speech, and probably in the field of psycholinguistics (the working out of speech information by a machine).

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Изучите данную ниже информацию об употреблении слов и продемонстрируйте понимание материала своими примерами. Постройте свои предложения так, чтобы они являлись руководством к действию (советом, рекомендацией).

to determine the cause of the accident – определять причину аварии. recognize – узнавать

I can’t recognize your voice. – Я не узнаю ваш голос. I recognized that person. – Я узнал этого человека. compare – сравнивать

Compare two songs. – Сравните две песни.

It is hard to compare ice-cream with milk shake. – Трудно сравнивать мороженое с молочным коктейлем.

miss (someone) – скучать (по кому-то/чему-то)

discover – совершать открытие

I miss you. – Я скучаю по тебе. / Мне тебя не хватает. А

Captain Cook discovered the island in 1775. – Капитан Кук открыл

остров в 1775 году.

wait – ждать

Canсвоиyou wait for a while? – Можете немного подождать?

They are waiting for us. – Они ждут нас.

tend – меть склонность (к чему-то)

Somepeopletendtohidetheiremotions. – Некоторые люди склонны

Сскрывать эмоц . notice – замечать

I didn’t notice that my door was not locked. – Я не заметил, что моя дверь не была заперта.

Have you noticed anything unusual? – Вы заметили что-нибудь необычное?

figure out – выяснять (находить решение)

How did you figure it out? – Как вы это знали?

I can’t figure out what she wants. – Я не могу понять, чего она хочет. suffer – страдать

They have suffered enough. – Они достаточно настрадались.

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to suffer from headache – страдать от головной боли. stare – пристально смотреть, пялиться.

Do not stare at people. – Не пялься на людей. What are you staring at? – Чего уставился? examine – проверять (изучать)

He examined the evidences carefully. – Он тщательно проверил улики.

He examined the wall for cracks. – Он проверил стены на наличие трещин. define – определять

You can define “tall” as “not short”. – Слово «высокий» можно определить как «ненизкий».

observe – наблюдать

to observe the stars – наблюдать звезды count – считать

to count to ten – считать до десяти to count the bricks – считать кирпичи

miss (someone) [mɪs] – скучать (по кому-то/чему-то) study [ˈstʌdi] – зучать (учиться)

forget (forgot, forgot) [fəˈgɛt] – забывать imagine [ɪˈmæʤɪn] – воображать discover [dɪsˈkʌvə] – совершать открытие worry [ˈwʌri] – беспокоиться

wait [weɪt] – ждать

experience [ɪksˈpɪərɪəns] – переживать (испытывать что-то на себе) tend [tɛnd] – иметь склонность (к чему-то)

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notice [ˈnəʊtɪs] – замечать wish [wɪʃ] – желать

figureout [ˈfɪgəraʊt] – выяснять (находить решение)

imagine – воображать

involve – вовлекать во что-то; касаться, затрагивать keep – продолжать делать что-то

mind – возражать, иметь что-то против mention – упоминать

postpone – откладывать

practise – практиковаться, тренироваться resume – возобновить, продолжить regret – сожалеть

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