Brain Sides and New Language Learning | Science
Summary
TLDRNeuroscientist Shipra Guranandan explores how the brain processes language, particularly in adults learning new languages. Her study shows that speaking primarily activates the left hemisphere, while comprehension tasks like reading and listening can vary and involve both hemispheres, indicating a more bilateral processing. Guranandan encourages language learning despite its challenges, emphasizing that brain plasticity is not a barrier.
Takeaways
- π Learning a new language as an adult is challenging, with comprehension typically preceding the ability to speak fluently.
- π§ The ease of language comprehension might be due to changes in the brain's language processing areas.
- π Historically, the left hemisphere has been considered essential for language, but recent studies show the right hemisphere can also participate in language tasks after brain injuries.
- π Neuroscientist Shipra Gurunandan and her team investigated brain activity during language learning by scanning Spanish-speaking volunteers learning Basque or English.
- π£οΈ Speaking a new language primarily activates language regions in the left hemisphere, regardless of proficiency level.
- π In the early stages of learning, both native and new languages activate the same hemisphere for listening comprehension.
- π Reading comprehension also activates the same hemisphere in the brain for both native and new languages in beginners.
- π Advanced learners show a shift, with reading and listening activating different hemispheres compared to their native language.
- π The switch from the same to the opposite hemispheres is most pronounced in reading, less so in listening, and not present in speaking.
- ποΈ Speech may be more constrained to the left hemisphere due to specialized circuits for motor control of speech production.
- π Comprehension involves both auditory and visual systems, which are more bilaterally represented in the brain, explaining the bilateral activation in comprehension tasks.
- π Despite the challenges, language learning is achievable for everyone, and maintaining enthusiasm is key to success.
Q & A
What is generally easier for adults when learning a new language, comprehension or speaking?
-Comprehension is generally easier for adults when learning a new language compared to speaking.
Who is Shipra Guranandan and what is her field of study?
-Shipra Guranandan is a cognitive neuroscientist at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain, and Language.
What has been known about the left hemisphere of the brain since the 1800s?
-It has been known since the 1800s that the left hemisphere of the brain is essential for language.
What recent discovery challenges the idea that language is exclusive to the left hemisphere of the brain?
-The discovery that the right hemisphere can take over language tasks when the left hemisphere is injured challenges the idea that language is exclusive to the left hemisphere.
What method did Guranandan and her team use to study brain activity in language learners?
-Guranandan and her team scanned the brains of Spanish-speaking volunteers learning Basque or English while they performed language tasks involving reading, listening, and speaking.
What did the researchers find about brain activation during speaking in language learners?
-The researchers found that speaking primarily activated language regions in the left side of the brain, regardless of the learner's proficiency level.
How did reading and listening comprehension differ in brain activation compared to speaking?
-Reading and listening comprehension showed more variable brain activation, with native and new languages activating the same hemisphere in early learners and different hemispheres in more advanced learners.
Why do researchers believe speech production is more constrained to the left hemisphere?
-Researchers believe speech production is more constrained to the left hemisphere because it contains specialized circuits dedicated to motor control of speech production.
How do the auditory and visual systems contribute to comprehension being more bilateral in the brain?
-The auditory and visual systems are more bilateral, which likely contributes to comprehension being more bilateral in the brain.
What is Shipra Guranandan's message about learning a new language?
-Shipra Guranandan's message is that language learning is challenging but possible for everyone, and it's not due to a lack of brain plasticity. She encourages maintaining a positive attitude and perseverance.
Outlines
π Language Learning Challenges and Brain Activation
This paragraph discusses the difficulty adults face when learning a new language, emphasizing that comprehension usually precedes speaking ability. It introduces cognitive neuroscientist Shipra Gurunandan, who investigates how the brain processes language during learning. The text explains that while the left hemisphere is traditionally associated with language, the right hemisphere can also participate, especially after brain injuries. Gurunandan's study involved scanning the brains of Spanish speakers learning Basque or English, focusing on reading, listening, and speaking tasks to understand the brain's response to language comprehension and production. The findings suggest that speaking activates the left hemisphere regardless of proficiency, while reading and listening show more variability, with advanced learners activating different hemispheres.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Language Learning
π‘Comprehension
π‘Hemispheres of the Brain
π‘Cognitive Neuroscience
π‘Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language
π‘Language Regions
π‘Motor Control
π‘Auditory and Visual Systems
π‘Brain Plasticity
π‘Joie de Vivre
π‘Language Tasks
Highlights
Learning a new language as an adult is challenging, with comprehension usually preceding speaking ability.
Comprehension may be easier due to the brain glossing over details, while speaking requires precise reproduction of foreign sounds.
Cognitive neuroscientist Shipra Guranandan investigates how the brain processes language during learning.
It has been known since the 1800s that the left hemisphere is essential for language processing.
Recent research shows the right hemisphere can take over language tasks after left hemisphere brain injuries.
Language is not exclusively processed by the left hemisphere, indicating brain flexibility.
Guranandan's team scanned the brains of Spanish-speaking volunteers learning Basque or English.
Volunteers performed reading, listening, and speaking tasks in both their native and new languages.
Speaking primarily activated language regions in the left hemisphere, regardless of language proficiency.
Reading and listening comprehension showed variable activation in the brain's hemispheres.
In early language learning stages, both native and new languages activated the same hemisphere.
Advanced learners showed different hemisphere activation for native and new languages.
The switch from same to opposite hemispheres was most significant in reading, less in listening, and non-existent in speaking.
Speech may be more constrained to the left hemisphere due to specialized motor control circuits.
Comprehension involves auditory and visual systems, which are more bilaterally processed in the brain.
The study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Language learning remains challenging but should not be discouraged by brain plasticity limitations.
Maintaining a positive attitude and joy for learning can enhance language acquisition.
Transcripts
[Applause]
anyone who's tried to learn a new
language
as an adult knows how hard it can be and
usually
the ability to comprehend someone else
comes before the capacity for speaking
the new tongue
when you're listening you can kind of
gloss over the details
so you may not need to understand every
single syllable
every single word perfectly cognitive
neuroscientist
shipra guranandan of the basque center
on cognition
brain and language but actually speaking
a new language fluently
takes much more work adults are not
quite able to
reproduce or re-hear foreign sounds
guranandan suspected that as we learn
the relative ease of comprehension
might be explained by changes in the
area of the brain that processes
language
it's been known since the 1800s that for
most people
the left hemisphere of the brain is
essential for language
however in more recent times we've
started to realize that
it's not quite that simple for example
when people suffer brain
injuries to the left hemisphere the
right hemisphere can take over language
tasks
that flexibility suggests that language
is not the exclusive domain
of the left hemisphere to find out if
the two sides of the brain
process comprehension and speech
differently during language learning who
renandan and her team
scanned the brains of spanish-speaking
volunteers who were learning either
basque
or english they performed language tasks
in the scanner
involving reading listening and speaking
in their native and their new language
and
then we looked at whether activation in
the language regions was greater in the
left hemisphere or in the right
hemisphere for each of the languages in
each task
the researchers found that speaking
primarily activated language regions in
the left side of the brain
no matter how advanced the language
learner was
but reading and listening comprehension
were much more variable
in the earlier stages of language
learning the native and new languages
tended to activate the same hemisphere
while in the more advanced learners
they activated different hemispheres and
the switch
from the same to the opposite
hemispheres was largest in reading
it was slightly smaller and listening
and it was non-existent in speaking
the researchers reason that speech may
be more constrained to the left
hemisphere
because it contains specialized circuits
dedicated to the motor control of speech
production
while in comprehension you have the
auditory system and the visual system
which are more bilateral and
is possible that is why comprehension is
more bilateral in the brain
the study is in the journal of
neuroscience
learning a new language will always be
challenging
but guru nandan says you shouldn't let
that stop you
language learning is a hard skill it's
hard for everybody but it's not because
of your brain plasticity
you can learn words you can learn drama
roles your language learning capacity is
just fine
as long as you maintain your joie de
vivre
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