Elena Meli
The brain of those who speak, for example, Chinese and English, is more “performant” than those who express themselves in French and English. However, it is more effective to know two languages well, rather than knowing several superficially
Mandarin Chinese, the most spoken language in the world, has minimal grammar but arduous vocabulary and writing. Also for this reason, perhaps, it shapes the brains of bilinguals who speak it together with English, a relatively simple language, in a very different way compared to what happens in those who, in addition to English, speak fluently a language that is more similar to it in terms of writing and structure like French.
Research
This was demonstrated by research published in Science Advances conducted on Anglo-Chinese and Anglo-French bilinguals: generally the studies focus on the differences between bilinguals and those who speak only one language, in this case bilinguals who master languages were compared similar with others who also “chew” a difficult and particular language such as Chinese, analyzing the volunteers with functional magnetic resonance imaging while they saw various images or letters or words in the different languages.
The data shows that in the brains of speakers of similar languages, the visual word form area, an area of the brain essential for us to read, does not activate differently when seeing words in each of the two known languages; when the second language is complex like Chinese, “Chinese neurons” light up.
Specialized areas
“A galaxy, a constellation of areas specialized in recognizing words in this language that overlap with brain areas responsible for facial recognition,” the authors write. «When we see a face we do not recognize the nose, eyes and mouth as separate parts but as a whole; something similar happens when Chinese bilinguals see their words”, observes cognitive scientist Minye Zhan who conducted the study.
Different languages can therefore shape the brain of bilinguals in different ways, which certainly has peculiarities that distinguish it from that of those who speak only one language.
The polyglot brain, according to studies in recent years, is more efficient and for example has a better working memory and is able to focus attention better on important details, especially in situations that require concentration and immediate decisions: accustomed to “silencing” languages that he is not using at that moment, he is able to concentrate on one thing at a time without distractions, making the best use of his cognitive resources.
Reserve of neurons
This also seems to increase the reserve of neurons it can draw on and also the connections between nerve cells, mitigating the effects of age on brain performance: research by the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Bonn has recently shown that early bilinguals, who they learn a second language in the first years of life, have greater learning and memory skills and better executive functions, but also differences in gray matter in some brain areas. All this seems to be able to protect the brain, maintaining cognitive performance for longer in the elderly: according to estimates, speaking two languages well and daily, even if the second was learned when one was no longer a child, could even slow down by four, five years the onset of dementia symptoms and slow down a possible neurodegenerative disease, because bilinguals seem to be able to better compensate for the loss of neurons.
The cognitive advantages, however, come from speaking other languages well in addition to one’s own, so it is not so much the number that counts, but the mastery achieved: it is therefore better to aim for true bilingualism, obtained through immersion in the other language and nourished with conversations, films original and opportunities to speak it, than a summary smattering of many idioms.
Do bilingual contexts harm children?
Our brain was born to be bi- or plurilingual, that is, it is perfectly equipped to master multiple languages: this has been demonstrated by research from New York University, according to which the transition from one language to another is completely natural and without shocks because the brain uses the same mechanisms to combine words from one or two different languages.
By analyzing the brain processing modes in people bilingual for Korean and English, the researchers realized that the areas involved are the same when interpreting expressions in one language or mixed expressions, which contain words from both: the left anterior temporal lobe, the region that has an important role in combining the meanings of words is activated in the same way, so the transition from one idiom to another is natural and immediate.
Fluent speaking ability
A fluidity in our brain’s ability to speak multiple languages which is confirmed by a study recently published in Cortex, according to which bilinguals are as quick as monolinguals in recalling the right word to mind.
Those who speak only one language and therefore have no possible interference from other languages take 0.05 seconds to find and say the word they are looking for, but the authors have shown that in bilinguals the times are similar, oscillating between 0.04 and 0.06 seconds: the words of the second language do not confuse the brain: they are activated and recalled automatically, in a dialogue between idioms that always takes place in the temporo-parietal area of the brain.
The advantages
All data that can make parents of children growing up in bilingual contexts breathe a sigh of relief, sometimes worried that exposure to two or more languages could confuse them and slow down their development: it is true that these children often speak a little later or they prefer one of the two languages and seem to struggle more in the other, but over time they only gain advantages because the brain is equipped to speak more languages and in doing so it trains itself to function at its best, so much so that bilingual children from the cradle onwards generally they learn to read earlier and learn other languages more easily.
Not only that, studies also suggest that they have more awareness of others, that is, that they better understand how others can have a different point of view, which benefits their social skills.
Motivation makes learning a lot easier
Everyone agrees, the ideal would be to be early and balanced bilingual, that is, to be one from an early age and to have reached the maximum level of mastery in both (or more) languages. The reality is that the majority still learn another language at school or later, in adulthood, so much research is trying to investigate whether the same cognitive advantages are obtained in these cases too.
Certainly, as one grows older, the ease of learning decreases and so, for example, as adults it is impossible to learn another language perfectly and without inflections; those who learn the second language at school age can master it like balanced and precocious bilinguals. What makes the difference, however, is always personal involvement, because to really learn a language it is important to listen to it in engaging situations, which give you the motivation to use it: books, videos, games and conversations in the language are therefore better than classic classroom study.
April 27, 2024
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