I can't wrap my brain around seeing in 'words'. I mean, what does that 'look' like? Do you literally see 'words'? Don't you have to get some kind of image in your mind when you read words? No?
I think in pictures or words or sounds, depending on the situation. If I'm reading fiction, I see a movie (though I'd say that I replay or rewrite scenes at later times, rather than replaying a whole film).
If I'm speaking a language I'm learning, I see words, never pictures. Never,
ever, pictures.
My preferred way to learn vocabulary and grammar is from a very well-organized textbook or other kind of book, followed by reading magazines or books of increasing complexity. If I'm traveling by bus or train, I read signs as the vehicle passes them. I don't force myself to do this; it just happens naturally. I can spend two hours or more doing this. Then, I pick up the accent by listening to people (I can hear their voices enunciating words). I can replay songs in my head and sometimes the sounds are so vibrant, they almost sound real.
Odd, I guess? Does anyone else think like this?
Val
