How the Brain Works The Facts Visually Explained by DK (z-lib.org)

COMMUNICATION

Learning a Language 124 125

The bilingual brain

In the brain of a bilingual speaker,

languages “compete” for attention.

This provides unconscious practice

in ignoring irrelevant information,

and studies show that bilinguals

are better at this than monolinguals.

The ability to learn a second

language like a native speaker is

usually lost after around four years

of age, especially with pronunciation.

The brains of elderly bilinguals

show better preservation of white

matter, which may protect them

from the effects of cognitive decline.

AROUND 12 FROM 12 12–18 18 MONTHS 2 YEARS 2–2^1 ⁄ 2 3 ONWARD 5

One study of second-language learners

looked at whether alcoholic drinks would

improve speaking and pronunciation by

reducing self-consciousness. It worked

up to a point—but after too many drinks,

performance rapidly deteriorated.

ALCOHOL AND LANGUAGE

MONTHS YEARS

Bilingualism areas

Areas of gray matter (shown in

blue) are activated in bilingual

speakers when they switch

between languages.

Start to point for

themselves,

effectively

“asking” for

word names

May understand

around 50

words. Becomes

specialized in

hearing speech

sounds within

own language

Can understand

around five

times as many

words as in

speech

vocabulary

“Telegraphic”

stage of

utterances of

more than two

words. Also

begins to use

question words,

(e.g., “where my

book?”) and

negatives (e.g.,

“no doing it”)

Multiword,

sentence-like

speech begins:

e.g., “shoe all

wet.” Also use of

“where,” “why,”

and inversion,

e.g., “where did

you go?”

One-word stage:

can use single

words for

familiar objects,

e.g., milk, cat,

cup

Two-word stage

begins, e.g.,

“mommy eat,”

“daddy bad,”

“big teddy”

Full use

of language—

although many

subtleties of

meaning remain

to be mastered

Vocabulary

commonly

around 3,000

words and

growing. Also

increasing use

of grammar, e.g.,

plurals, past

tenses

BONJOUR,

ÇA VA?

BHLEES

CHIDEVSSSS

AT AROUND 18 MONTHS,

THERE IS A VOCABULARY

EXPLOSION—THE WORD

LEARNING RATE CLIMBS

TO ABOUT 40 A WEEK

Activated

region

of gray

matter

RIGHT

HEMISPHERE

LEFT

HEMISPHERE

White

matter

preserved

in older

bilingual

adults

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