Speech and Thought Disparity

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Something I have struggled with for my whole life is getting the right words out. There is often the time that I think something but the word that comes out does not represent the thought in my head. But even though the word that comes out is completely wrong, certain features of that word correspond to the one that was meant to be said.

For example, I have just ordered a pizza on the phone and said "mozzarella" when I meant "pepperoni". They both have a similar phonetic arrangement, with only one-letter difference in length and they both contain a double consonant in the middle. Now, I have two toppings on that pizza.

And it doesn't just happen with words. There is a general separation between spoken word and my thoughts, and I have trouble making one represent the other. Especially when I'm tired. I say things sometimes without thought, but a lot of the times, it's just a meaningless mumble jumble or a phrase that has nothing to do with anything (or maybe is only vaguely connected to the situation at hand).

Can anyone else relate to these experiences?

oh you know how i take care of this problem? have someone else order for you! works wonderful everytime!

I definitely have this problem. It makes me feel like people must think I'm not very bright, but the thought is perfectly formed in my head. I just can't translate it to spoken words.

when i am tired i do all manner of similar things, not only in speech but in written communication as well, and in manipulation of physical objects in my environment i will sometimes do inexplicable things in place of what i should have been doing, like putting car keys in the microwave oven or trying to drive the car without starting it first.

I do it too, and then I annoy people by going on and on and trying to fix what I was saying.

I also go further with it in that if I'm trying to describe a thought or a feeling, there are no right words for it, so I monologue at people with words that "describe" the word I'm trying to think of and I end up concluding that there is no word for what I'm trying to say and everyone is bored. I even get bored with myself. Words are just too limiting to fully describe thoughts!! I vote that we all become selectively psychic.

Hi MathGirl,

I don't know if this is the same thing but when I developed CFS I found that words got jumbled up, but mostly it was forgetting words. So for instance I won't be able to find a very common word, then 5mins later it just pops out. I just say, "I lost my train of thought" to them and they are mostly fine with it but it bugs me a lot.

Also for instance when writing this thread I put developer instead of developed but I'm putting that down to common word format when typing. I don't do this in speech.

I wouldn't recommend becoming psychic, you won't be able to control your thoughts and you'll be thinking everyone is hearing what you think.

I do it, too. I know I'm not as lame a thinker as I sound when I try to verbalize my thoughts. I guess I think in pictures most of the time and realize mid-sentence that I don't know how to SAY what I mean.