![]() ![]() “Kids are extremely good at telling languages apart,” Dr Bak said and continued that “the idea that children get confused is completely unrealistic”.īilingual children gain and amazing level of metalinguistic awarenessat an early age, and they know which language to speak when and with whom. Using his own 3-year-old daughter as an example, Dr Bak, went on to describe children’s amazing abilities to learn languages. Taking into account how much money goes into dementia and stroke care every year, supporting multingualism and language learning should be a priority for every government across the globe! Those are significant figures, and they should make any decision maker stand up and take notice. Bilinguals were also 20% less likely to have subsequent vascular dementia after a stroke. According to Dr Bak’s research, while 20% of the monolinguals regained normal brain functions after their stroke, this number doubled to 40% for bilinguals. However, bilinguals are 20% less likely to suffer from global aphasia (when you only have minimal language functions). A bilingual person is equally likely as a monolingual to be affected by aphasia (some degree of language disorder) after a stroke. In their research, Dr Bak and his colleagues studied 608 monolingual and bilingual stroke sufferers and how well they recover after a stroke. It will be a while before we get certainty about this, but Dr Bak’s most recent study is taking steps toward it. He however also mentioned, that there are studies, which have not come to the same conclusion, and which question whether multilingualism makes people healthy or whether healthy people are more likely to learn more languages. Switching between your languages and fending off the languages you do not need in a certain situation is an effective mental exercise, which trains the executive control area of your brain.ĭr Bak went on to quote several different research findings which have all found similar encouraging effects. Actively “speaking more than one language does not prevent you from getting dementia,” but it allows you to “ function longer” than a monolingual person with the same level of brain damage, Dr Bak explained. Here is where multilingualism enters the stage.īy using several languages, you build up a cognitive reserve which makes your brain more resilient. Dr Bak’s suggestion is that instead of looking for a cure, “ we should use at least some of the money on finding ways to minimise the risk factors and maximise the protective ones”. We were treated to a full day of interesting presentations, and in this post, I focus on the talk held by Dr Bak about the potential positive health benefits of bilingualism.Īccording to Dr Bak, for decades, researches have been spending huge amounts of money on finding a cure for dementia, without any significant success. Alongside many other language enthusiasts from different organisations: schools, universities, businesses, charities and the government, I was invited to the “Speaking to a Global Future” symposium organised by Speak to the Future at the Language Show in London. These effects are dependent on various individual factors, but nonetheless exist as a distinction between bilingual and monolingual brains.“Is monolingualism making us ill?” was the somewhat provocative title of an excellent talk by Dr Thomas Bak, neuroscientist and dementia researcher at the University of Edinburgh, which I was fortunate to listen to last week. Whether it be through brain processing, cranial structure, or brain functionality, the differences present are enough to conclude that bilinguals and monolinguals have a difference in function pathways. ![]() To summarize, there are a variety of factors which distinguish the bilingual brain from its monolingual counterpart. Considered together, this research suggests that having knowledge of an additional language not only alters brain processing, but also has an effect on the brain structure as well. ![]() Likewise, the impact of bilingualism on the white matter content within children’s brains - was also found as evidence in a 2012 study on structural differences of white matter between monolingual and bilingual children. According to a 2004 article titled Neurolinguistics: structural plasticity in the bilingual brain, learning and having knowledge of an extra language can result in an increase in the amount of grey matter (area of processing within the brain) within the left inferior parietal cortex of the brain. Additionally, bilingualism can also affect physical brain structure. ![]()
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