Second-language learning also changes the brain's structure Because of their roles involved in learning, the relevant brain regions become strengthened – this is reflected in the increase of volume in grey and white matter.
Studies show that learning a language increases the volume and density of gray matter, the volume of white matter, and brain connectivity. In older language learners, some studies show cognitive benefits beyond languages, such as for working memory.
“Because the language centers in the brain are so flexible, learning a second language can develop new areas of your mind and strengthen your brain's natural ability to focus." There is another study conducted in Sweden which helped visualize the benefits of learning a new language have on the brain.
Brain plasticity in multilingualism
Learning multiple languages re-structures the brain and some researchers argue that it increases the brain's capacity for plasticity. Language learning boosts brain plasticity and the brain's ability to code new information.
In other words, learning another language could change how your brain is wired. “It would make sense, if you have had this very different linguistic experience, to see some sort of stable, long-lasting effect,” Hernandez says. It may also make the brain more resilient.
The link between neuroplasticity and language acquisition has been documented in the literature; evidence suggests that as a product of learning a language and utilizing several languages, changes in brain anatomy are induced. These changes include the pattern of functional neurons and can occur rapidly and at any age.
Learning a new language pushes your brain to get familiar with new grammar and vocabulary rules. It allows you to train your memory to remember new words, make connections between them, and use them in contextual situations.
In the early nineteen fifties, researchers found that people scored lower on intelligence tests if they spoke more than one language. Research in the sixties found the opposite. Bilingual people scored higher than monolinguals, people who speak only one language.
Bilingual speakers have two minds in one body, new research has revealed. Speaking two languages literally changes the way we see the world, and bilingual speakers think differently to those who only use their native tongue.
Summary: Bilingual children develop a better working memory –- which holds, processes and updates information over short periods of time -– than monolingual children, according to new research.
Whether you've noticed it or not, research suggests yes, our personalities can shift depending on the language we are speaking. Your attitude to a language and the cultural values you place on it play a part in how you label your personality when speaking that language, say experts at Stockholm University.
When we learn a language, we meet new people, new cultures and therefore our personality evolves, we reinvent ourselves and we develop our capacity for adaptation. Knowing languages allows us to travel and relate to different people and environments, in which we have to behave differently.
Early second language learners have stronger executive function than their counterparts. This means that they're often better at planning, focusing, and achieving goals. They're also better multitaskers and critical thinkers, and some research suggests that bilingualism also provides a significant creativity boost.
The main parts of the brain involved in language processes are the Broca's area, located in the left frontal lobe, which is responsible for speech production and articulation, and the Wernicke's area, in the left temporal lobe, associated with language development and comprehension.
“When your brain processes language, it's not one place in the brain that processes language,” Marian says. “It's a network that's spread across all areas of the brain.” Because of that, bilingual brains have more pathways connecting different words, concepts and memories across different languages.
As many language communities are still yet to be studied, it's difficult to say exactly how many people in the world speak two languages fluently. However, current estimates predict that around 43% of people are bilingual, with a further 17% being multilingual.
More recently, scientists have discovered that bilingual adults have denser gray matter (brain tissue packed with information-processing nerve cells and fibers), especially in the brain's left hemisphere, where most language and communication skills are controlled.
The countries with the highest average IQs are Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the People's Republic of China, all with average IQs above 104. On the other hand, countries such as Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Niger, Antigua and Barbuda, and Rwanda have the lowest average IQs, all below 71.
For example, relative to a bilingual, a trilingual has to remember even more words and has to inhibit even more languages. To adapt to this increase in cognitive demands, trilinguals may develop a larger cognitive supply (i.e., greater advantages) than bilinguals.
According to a historical review in "The Journal of Genetic Psychology," various researchers held these beliefs, noting a "problem of bilingualism" or the "handicapping influence of bilingualism." Following studies reported that bilinguals performed worse in IQ tests and suffered in most aspects of language development ...
Across multiple sources, Mandarin Chinese is the number one language listed as the most challenging to learn. The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center puts Mandarin in Category IV, which is the list of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers.
Studies have shown that people who utilise their brains more through furthering their language tend to have lower rates of dementia and memory problems later in life regardless of education levels, gender or occupation.
By studying brain electrical activity of volunteers, researchers found that language acquisition enhances brain plasticity and capacity for learning.