If you can speak and read in another language, your brain may have developed several advantages that your monolingual family and friends don’t have.
Research into the neurobiology of bilingualism reports that being fluent in two languages, particularly if you learned as a young child, can enhance your ability to concentrate. Probably more importantly, being bilingual may protect you against dementia and other age-related cognitive conditions.
The research also provides a better understanding of how the brain organizes speech and communication tasks. As a result more targeted and effective therapies fare being studied to help bilingual individuals recover their communication skills after a brain injury.
It wasn’t that long ago when parents and educators worried that exposing children to a second language when they were very young might delay language skills and intellectual growth. Not so. The research shows no difference in reaching language milestones like saying first words. In fact, just the opposite. Bilingual preschoolers could focus better than their monolingual classmates.
Here’s what the American Speech and Hearing Association says about the advantages of being bilingual:
Most children have the capacity and facility to learn two or more languages. Research suggests there are advantages to being bilingual, such as, linguistic and metalinguistic abilities and cognitive flexibility, such as, concept formation, divergent thinking and general reasoning and verbal abilities.
My advice: Teach your children or grandchildren a second language.
My big question: If it works so well for children, and the brain is known to have some elasticity, then if we learn a second language as adults, will that benefit us – our cognitive skills, our concentration as we get older? And will it also protect us against dementia – at least to some degree?
What do you think? Does anyone know of any research on adults and learning a second language? I’d be willing to take some time out of my life and relearn one of the languages I studied in high school and college. Would you make the effort?
Share your thoughts.
To a successful balanced and healthy lifestyle,
Ruthan
Ruthan Brodsky provides content marketing online and offline for entrepreneurs and health care providers.
Buenos días Ruthan / Good Morning Ruthan -
My name is Beth Butler, and most of my every day living centers around helping young children learn a second language through the music and movement fun our company creates. I keep up on the research as much as possible, and a book titled The Bilingual Edge that came out mid-2007 talks about it's never too late to learn.
In fact, they suggest the ability to learn a 2nd language never goes away totally - the brain just changes in the way in which it acquires that new language.
And with the social pressures put on adults in the new language learning environment, it's easy to see why it's more difficult with age.
So - go for it amiga! We want another bilingual buddy on board!
Happy Educating! ¡Sea feliz educando!
Beth Butler
CEO of The Boca Beth Program
Posted by: Beth Butler | September 12, 2008 at 09:19 AM