Paragraph Headings 12:47
In Two Minds
Headings
A Giving the Brain Extra Focus
B One Brain, Two People
C An Out of Date View
D A Longer Period for Language Learning
E Seeing Oneself Differently
F Remembering Statues
G Curing Age Related Disease
H A Better Brain
1 B
According to new research bilingualism can stimulate the brain to make a person better at
learning, multitasking, problem solving and may even protect against brain degeneration in
old age. Speaking two languages it seems can profoundly affect the way a person thinks and
new research demonstrates that it can even affect their whole identity, making them almost as
if they were two people. Thus, for people brought up speaking two languages, it is almost as if
a person has two minds, one for each language spoken, resulting in changes in personality and
differing memories depending on the language they are speaking at the time. This shows the
connection between language and thought and throws new light on positive associations.
2C
However, in the past people did not have such a positive view of bilingualism. Since the
nineteenth century educators warned that it would confuse a child and they may never learn
either language well. Worse than that, they considered that it could hinder other development
and actually lower IQ. It is true however, that bilingual people tend to have slightly smaller
vocabularies in each language and be a bit slower when asked to name things when compared
to their monolingual peers. A key study in the 1960s though, by Elizabeth Peal and Wallace
Lambert at McGill University in Canada found that the ability to speak two languages did not
stunt overall development. On the contrary, they found that bilinguals outperformed
monolinguals on 15 verbal and non-verbal tests.
3D
Unfortunately their findings were largely ignored and academics tended to continue to cling to
the old way of thinking. It is not until recently that there has been renewed interest in
bilingualism. Ellen Bialystok, from York University in Canada is one of the researchers who
has been working in the field for the last 30 years. In part the renewed interest comes from
technological advancements especially in functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)
which allows scientists to look into babies' brains as they first encounter language. Laura Ann
Petitto, a neuroscientist at Gallaudet University found a profound difference between mono
and bilingual babies. According to current thinking, babies' brains are capable of
discriminating between the sounds of all languages until about their first birthday, when they
start to focus on the mother tongue only. However, babies exposed to two mother tongues
continue to be able to distinguish the sounds of unfamiliar languages almost until a year
longer than that. She believes that bilingualism keeps the brain open for learning a little
longer, which makes it develop more.
4A
In fact the more research that was carried out, the more benefits were found. Bilingual
children were found to be better at blocking out distracting features and switching between
different tasks without becoming confused. In fact this blocking action is what happens when
a bilingual listens to or reads something in either one of the languages they speak. The brain is
constantly choosing the right word while inhibiting the same word from the other language.
This requires some mental gymnastics, giving the brain a good workout. Having realised this,
it didn't take long for scientists to start looking at how these mental gymnastics could help the
brain resist the effects of ageing. Bialystok, did some research into bilinguals, monolinguals
and both Alzheimer's disease and dementia-two conditions that affect brain performance such
as memory, cognition and behaviour. She found that the onset of these diseases was
surprisingly delayed by 4-5 years in bilinguals, making old age much brighter.
5F
Besides helping the brain into old age, it seems that bilingualism can also change behaviour.
Some bilinguals have been told by friends that they act differently when speaking each
language, so their behaviour can depend on the language they are speaking. When asked to
describe the same TV character in different languages, the descriptions differed widely
depending on the language used. It seems that bilinguals almost have two different minds.
One explanation could be culture. Language is an expression of the cultural mores of a society
and when speaking in one language the speaker may subconsciously express the culture of
that language. For example when asked about their own personality, each Spanish and English
speaking bilingual volunteer described themselves as more humble in Spanish and more
assertive in English. This could be because modesty is more highly valued in Mexico, with
assertiveness being more respected in the USA. Memories can also depend on the language
being spoken. When asked to recall a statue standing with one arm raised and looking out to
the distance, Mandarin / US speakers were more likely to recall the statue of Liberty if asked
in English and a statue of Mao if asked in Mandarin.
6H
So it seems that the brain really does keep the two languages apart creating a better
functioning brain, more able to cope with complex tasks and one that in general keeps
working healthily for longer. Maybe we should all be learning a second language?!
