As I have just begun this section there is little here at present. I plan to use this as a place to record recent dreams that are memorable and perhaps also to describe other dreams I’ve had in the past that were not recorded elsewhere and to share a few additional thoughts about dreams in general. I will begin with a thought.

What language dreams?

There are two parts to this question. The first is whether dreams constitute a language of their own. Those who do dream analysis (interpretation) must believe that dreams represent a kind of symbol-language in which each element in the dream constitutes a given symbol that has a recognized definition. It seems to me that this is the only way we might be able to interpret meaning to dreams, at least those of other people. One problem with this concept, however, is that one would have to assume that the symbols would remain constant across all cultures. This seems unlikely as what is symbolic of one thing in one culture may be symbolic of something completely different in another. As just one example, a white dress in Western society traditionally stands for purity and is why it is often used as a wedding gown; to us it represents a time of joy and festivity. In some cultures, however, a white gown is worn only as a symbol of mourning and would be seen only at a funeral rather than at a wedding. If such different meanings can be associated with things in real life, would not their meanings within dreams likewise differ from one culture to another? This is one reason I hold dream interpretation somewhat suspect.

The second part of the question is more straightfoward: If a person is bi- or multilingual, in what language do they dream? I once asked a Belgian friend in undergrad this question, and at first he wasn’t sure what language was spoken in his dreams. A few days later, after paying more attention to this in his dreams, he told me that he’d discovered that when he dreamed of his American friends he dreamed in English; when his dream was centered in Belgium he dreamed in his native Dutch. Being primarily an English speaker myself, nearly all my dreams are in English (which makes perfect sense). I have on rare occasions, however, dreamed in American Sign Language, but as with my Belgian friend it was usually either when I was dreaming about deaf friends or about teaching a Sign Language class (though I do seem to remember vaguely dreaming about signing at a church function once though the people who were around me are hearing in real life). On very rare occasions I can recall speaking or hearing a little Russian, but as I am not very proficient in that language it is extremely rare.

November 12, 2007

I dreamed of being again in Zwolle, Netherlands, with Alex and Marianne Timmerman. Few details remained with me after waking, though I do recall helping Alex move some things by putting them into the trunk of his car. While doing this we were in a large building similar to a barn, and I remember thinking how wonderful it was to be in Holland again. I had a feeling that I was either contemplating what it would be like to live there or that I had in fact recently moved to Zwolle and that this was now or could soon be my home. It was a very nice feeling, and I definitely would classify this a pleasant dream. On awaking back in Bedford, however, it caused me to be more than a little depressed.