How Bilingualism Can Boost Your Brain

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Psycholinguist Mark Antoniou tells what gives knowledge of a second language and why it is possible and necessary to study at any age.

What are the benefits of bilingualism?

Bilingualism, as Mark defines it, is the use of at least two languages in everyday life.

Bilinguals switch between these languages subconsciously and mechanically. Therefore, he has to constantly monitor their influence on each other in order to choose the right word in the right language at a certain time.

This is the same as trying to perform an action in the face of interference and distractions. For example, hearing something in a noisy environment or solving a problem for attention. To do this, you need to ignore irrelevant information and focus on what is important.

The executive functions of the brain are responsible for this ability to direct and control one's attention. In a person using a second language, these functions are activated and developed constantly - which provides him with cognitive flexibility.

What's going on in the brain?

The executive functions of the brain are the most complex and at the same time the most "human", distinguishing us from monkeys and other animals. They are associated with parts of the brain that are new by the standards of evolution:

• the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for a huge number of cognitive functions;
• supra-marginal convolutions, responsible for the connection of words and meanings;
• the front of the cingulate gyrus, which is responsible for learning and decision making.

Research proves that knowledge of two languages changes the structure of these areas of the brain. Bilingualism also contributes to an increase in the volume of gray matter.

Our brain is made up of cells called neurons. Each of them has small branched processes - dendrites. The number of these cell bodies and dendrites is related to the amount of gray matter in the brain.

When learning a foreign language, new neurons and connections between them are formed, as a result, the gray matter becomes denser. And this is an indicator of a healthy brain.

Bilingualism has a positive effect on the white matter, which is responsible for the speed of nervous reactions. It consists of bundles of axons, impulse conductors, which are covered with myelin, a fatty substance.

In the process of human aging, the white matter is gradually destroyed. But research shows that the use of two languages prevents this: the bilingual uses more neurons, and the connections between them become stronger.

Does learning two languages at the same time harm children?

This myth about bilingualism dates back to studies conducted in the United States and Great Britain during the First and Second World Wars. Their results were erroneous due to the fact that they involved refugee children, orphans and even those who had been in concentration camps.

The child could be seriously injured, and then take part in a study that tested his oral language abilities. Unsurprisingly, the result turned out to be bad.

The researchers did not associate low scores with PTSD. They hardly knew what it was, and blamed bilingualism for everything.

It wasn't until the 1960s, when Elizabeth Peel and Wallace Lambert published a really important study, that attitudes began to change.

His results showed that bilingual children not only do not have developmental delay or mental retardation, but on the contrary: proficiency in several languages gives them advantages.

Perhaps their findings were exaggerated or slightly misinterpreted. Not every bilingual has a healthier brain than a monolingual. We are talking about general trends at the population level. Bilingualism in children affects this, but not always.

And at 20, for example, there may not be any advantages. This is because the brain continues to develop during childhood and reaches its peak with adulthood.

In addition to features in executive functions, bilinguals, both adults and children, are distinguished by metalinguistic consciousness - the ability to think about language as a set of abstract units and connections.

For example, take the letter "n". In English it sounds like [x], in Russian - like [n], and in Greek it is generally a vowel [and]. The reason for this cannot be found. And it is easier for a bilingual to understand this than for a person who knows only one language.

How to be parents raising bilinguals?

Be patient. Children learning two languages have a much more difficult time: they have to memorize two sets of words and sounds.

Sometimes it can be difficult for a child to understand why he needs a second language. And here it is important to help him realize all the practical value, if possible, immersing the child in the language environment.

Another problem that parents often worry about is mixing the two languages. However, it is important to understand that this is a completely normal part of the learning process and is not worth worrying about.

What is the difference between language learning in adulthood and childhood?

For a long time it was believed that the only way to learn to speak a foreign language is to start mastering it as early as possible, since it is almost impossible to do this in adulthood.

Now we know that many adults are starting to learn languages, and they are doing great. This forced researchers to reconsider their theory.

They found that the difference between language learning in children and adults is explained by two factors - the plasticity of the brain and the learning environment.

First, the child's brain is more flexible and it is easier for him to perceive new information. With age, this property is lost.

Secondly, adults usually go to language courses in the evening after a long day at work, while children are constantly in the learning environment - at school, at home, in extra classes.

But here, too, everything is individual: sometimes, under the same conditions, everything is easy for one person, while another has to work hard.

What is the difference between a bilingual brain in old age?

After 25 years, the human brain gradually loses its functions in terms of work efficiency, memorization and speed of information processing.

In old age, the performance of the brain begins to decline sharply. And knowledge of foreign languages makes this decline smoother and slower.

The bilingual brain is able to independently replace the neural connections lost as a result of injury or illness, which protects a person from memory loss and deterioration of thinking abilities.

Can learning a language in adulthood protect against Alzheimer's?

Now scientists are conducting research in which people from 65 years old are taught a foreign language, in order to find out if there is any benefit from this. The preliminary results are encouraging: they show that even this late language learning has a beneficial effect on thinking ability.

Learning and using a non-native language is a complex process that involves many levels. You have to take into account sounds, syllables, words, grammar, syntax. This is a real challenge for most areas of the brain.

These include those where the aging person experiences deterioration in function. Therefore, learning a second language can be called a good workout, which ensures healthy aging of the brain.

According to research, the development of dementia in bilinguals begins Cognitive control, cognitive reserve, and memory in the aging bilingual brain on average four years later than in monolinguals. And scientists associate this with positive changes in gray and white matter in the brain.

Now experts are trying to find out what level of proficiency in a foreign language is necessary for positive changes in the brain, and whether it is important which language you learn.