"I Said That Out Loud, Didn't I?"

[PoptartProdigy]

Sometimes, in fiction, you come across a case where the viewpoint character thinks something, in italics, as normal. You're used to reading the story, you parse it well enough, and, in fact, it's not even formatted like speech! Why, that would sound ridiculous if spoken aloud!

And then, the narration describes how those surrounding the viewpoint character begin responding to that thought, and the character asks the now-standard question: "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

Has anybody ever actually had this happen? I don't mean in fiction, I mean in reality. Have you ever thought something, been so certain that you kept it within your own head that you'd swear to that in court, only to then realize when other people react that you actually spoke aloud? For the purposes of this question, I don't mean cases when you've been concussed, delirious, or otherwise impaired. Obviously, that can wreck one's ability to maintain an internal monologue. No, I'm talking about cases where, unforced by extraordinary circumstance, your brain's insides become your mouth's outsides, and you don't even realize until somebody else starts giving you weird looks.

I ask because I keep seeing this in fiction, and for the life of me, I don't get it. It's never happened to me. I've never known it to happen to anybody. Am I an edge case? Are other writers simply experiencing something I'm not? If it is something which people frequently experience, is there anything about it I should keep in mind, portraying it in fiction, or is the above case pretty much exactly how it goes? To my eyes, this is always jarring and weird, but I keep seeing it happening. That suggests that I've missed something, somewhere along the line.

 

[TerrisH]

Had it happen to me once our twice when I was distracted and/or startled. More if you count when I'm singing to some song I'm listening to and don't realize it.
Though Except for the singing, it was never some sort of monologue, just short sentences only 3-4 words long.
Also tend to knowingly talk to myself to mull over ideas, but that wouldn't count since I'm consciously doing it.

 

[Oshha]

A few times when I was younger, during infant and junior school, but I stopped as I grew older and became more careful about what came out of my mouth. I kinda of still do it, but not around other people so I don't get weird looks or questions so I'm not sure if that counts.

I have also experienced a few times when others have done it and in my experience, that has been with kids and generally on the younger side of things.

So overall, I would say, it definitely happens. In my experience, it is mainly when you are lost in thought and not fully paying attention to the world around you. Furthermore, it is rarely proper sentences and instead you get fragmented and disjointed sentences like you are thinking something in your head and half or a third of the words slip out them mouth.

 

[Quest]

This happens to me from time to time, where I say things I didn't mean to say something out loud or without thinking about it. It's also never random, and there is usually some level of extenuating circumstance or reason for it. Mostly it's when you're emotional and you weren't expecting it. I've said words or short sentences without first realising it. It can be when I suddenly see something beautiful or amazing and say 'woah' or I might just retort to someone out of habit. In these cases, it's usually something I might have said anyway but it's just that I said it without thinking.

It can also happen mid-conversation, when I'm already talking to someone. It could be that I'm distracted and thinking of something other than the conversation. This can end up with me saying something habitually or just saying something related to what I'm thinking about due to a Freudian slip. Once a friend called me their best friend while teasing me (along the lines of "oh how could you!? Even though I'm your best friend...") which is significant only because they didn't mean to say it. Amusingly, I said that out loud the same way to another friend because I was teasing them and the previous situation was on my mind. In the latter case, I didn't actually mean it, but it just came up in random banter.

I feel this happens only if I'm talking to or with someone I'm really comfortable with or let my guard down around. I stop considering what I'm saying too carefully and stuff ends up slipping through my brain-to-mouth filter.

EDIT: That said, I realise I've said something as soon as I do. It's never because of other people's reactions.

 

[James Birdsong]

Always in a very faint whisper so nobody should be able to hear.

 

[AiSard]

Over the past 2-3 years I've somehow fallen into the habit of often talking to myself at work, especially when I do any sort of coding, because I usually have the place to myself or coworkers who listen to music all the time and I have terrible short term memory.

Sometimes I've blocked out everything so completely I'm not even aware of the act of speaking after the fact, only having it pointed out to me later. It's happened a couple of times where I stared back blankly and could've sworn I'd kept my mouth shut

 

[Crawkid]

Its not even limited to talking for me XD

One time I was talking to someone, and a friend decided to test my reflexes. I wasn't even aware of anything until he said "Good job"

But yes, tbh there's usually so much on my mind, especially when I've read something that pisses me off or something, that it sometimes just spills out before I even realize ive said anything...which can be problematic for me cause I'm usually doing a 'what if' situation in my head where I'd be "addressing" someone and exploring the possibilities of an argument. I also use hand motions when I do it so...imagine the looks I get XD

 

[Mistborn]

I ask because I keep seeing this in fiction, and for the life of me, I don't get it. It's never happened to me. I've never known it to happen to anybody. Am I an edge case? Are other writers simply experiencing something I'm not? If it is something which people frequently experience, is there anything about it I should keep in mind, portraying it in fiction, or is the above case pretty much exactly how it goes? To my eyes, this is always jarring and weird, but I keep seeing it happening. That suggests that I've missed something, somewhere along the line.

Click to shrink...

It's less of a life experience and more of a metafiction gag. Lot's of media have characters engage in inner monologues or even just soliloquy into the camera and we just take this as being between us and the characters so having other characters but in subverts expectations in a humorous way. It's not like it's impossible to play fair about this sort of thing though. For instance in the Haruhi novels Kyon is a character in the story but also our narrator with his narration and dialogue formatted in the same way. So it's only a little surprising when another character responds to something that seemed like narration.

 

[OrigamiPhoenix]

Happens to me sometimes. Especially when I'm stuck in my own head. It's usually nigh-inaudible to others, though. I don't really talk to myself except when I know I'm alone, either.

I suppose that the "Did I Just Say That Out Loud?" trope is more acceptable as comic relief than plot advancement. (See also "Accidental Public Confession")
There does have to be precedence for the behavior for it to not break Willing Suspension of Disbelief. This is most often done through a Vocalization Derangement (mental illness, basically), which I personally think is done rather poorly most of the time.