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03 April 2011

Dream Talk

Do you talk in your sleep? You do? What language do you use?

My Guy is a great one for talking in his sleep, the only trouble is I can’t understand a word he says? I can’t make up my mind if he’s talking Swahili or gibberish. It’s driving me mad. I suppose there’s nothing to say he has to speak in his own tongue but it would be ever so convenient if he did. It’s very frustrating. I mean, he could be revealing all sorts of secrets and there’s me not understanding a word. How would I know? My school never taught Swahili or even gibberish?

I wish I could sleep through it but, no, the minute he starts I wake … at least I think I do … and lie there in my little bed straining to decipher the words. It’s even worse when he talks about something exciting, when the voice rises almost to a crescendo making it impossible even to interpret the plot. I might just as well forget the whole thing and go back to sleep.

My trouble is I’m inquisitive and I don’t like being kept in ignorance over hush-hush things happening in the middle of the night. I wonder if someone could invent dreams with subtitles. The mind boggles sometimes when after a few grunts he starts with the action. The grunts are similar to the ones uttered at the start of a domestic, the sort that say ‘Oh no, not again!’ But when there’s one of those his arms don’t lash out and his legs certainly don’t start kicking. He’s quite a saintly person to argue with, that’s how I know he’s not dreaming about me! And it’s definitely not sexy behaviour … come to think of it I don’t believe I’ve ever seen how he reacts to a sexy dream. Perhaps he doesn’t have them anymore. I don’t like to ask… just in case...

One night I tried to record a lengthy conversation he was having but when I played it back the tape was totally blank. Perhaps I hadn’t switched the recorder on properly. I tried again the next night, making sure before I nodded off that the recorder was set up accurately and all I had to do was press a button. Again, when checked out the next day there was no recording although the tape had wound on to its full extent. Don’t you find that interesting? I tested the equipment, talking in English, and it recorded beautifully. After trying several times more I came to the conclusion that dream talk can’t be recorded … unless, of course, you know better.

8 comments:

  1. my boys talk in their sleep...i do like the thought that dreams can not be recorded...

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  2. "I wonder if someone could invent dreams with subtitles."

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA! HILARIOUS, Valerie! And wouldn't that be great if the could?

    Since I live alone and don't even know if I talk in my sleep, I've often thought of tape recording myself before I go to bed, and replaying it in the morning - HA!

    Happy Tuesday, dear lady!

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  3. Fascinating idea! I wonder why the tape would not record his talking?

    Our dreams can sometimes be very entertaining. They also, as you suspect, reveal what we are really feeling about our lives. Last night I dreamt my husband was being arrested by these two ugly looking cops and I was crying and trying to keep him from being taken away. He died last August.
    It was so real and so obviously what is on my mind.

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  4. Hi Valerie,

    Since you can't record the talking in the dream, I now have a doubt whether you are dreaming or your guy is talking in his dream:)

    There is a sleep walking scene in Shakespeare's tragedy MACBETH in which Lady Macbeth is walking in her sleep and talking to herself.

    Best wishes,
    Joseph

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  5. How interesting!

    I had a reading from a medium a good few years ago and taped it. when I played it back all that could be heard was the fridge clicking on and off. What made it even more strange was there were five other people having readings that evening who taped them - all theirs turned out perfect. :0

    My husband says I talk in my sleep, presumably in English because he say if he asks questions I answer.

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  6. The first few years hubby and I were married he talked in his sleep. It got where if I ask questions he would answer me! After teasing him about it, he quit talking. He would start and then clam up! Guess I ought not to have teased him, no telling what he would have told! lol

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  7. A little spooky that the dream talk was not recorded. Maybe you need to hire a court reporter and have them type whatever he is speaking but I guess that would not work since it is mostly jibberish. Kyle is talking but a lot of it is still not understandable so maybe the hubby is reverting back to his childhood and talking like a toddler. Sorry that is the best help I can provide on only a few hours of sleep.

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  8. Dreams with subtitles would be a good idea.

    A few of my boys talk in their sleep. It's comical often.

    Lovely post for fun and reflection Valerie.

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