Cognitive Advantages of Bilingualism - Maria Polinsky

Summary

The transcript discusses the common misconception that everyone in a country speaks a single dominant language fluently, suggesting that multilingualism is historically more common. It highlights cognitive benefits of bilingualism, such as reduced Alzheimer's risk in the elderly and enhanced adaptability in infants. The speaker proposes that bilingualism improves executive control, which could explain these advantages. The summary also touches on concerns about bilingual children's vocabularies and the impact of literacy, emphasizing that language input is more crucial than type or order of language learning.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Monolingualism is less common historically; multilingualism is the norm.
• 🧠 Bilingualism has been linked to significant cognitive advantages.
• 👴 Bilingual individuals are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease compared to monolinguals.
• 👶 Bilingual babies show better adaptability and cognitive flexibility in certain tasks compared to monolingual babies.
• 📈 The benefits of bilingualism are more pronounced when language exposure begins early in life.
• 🤔 The field of linguistics and sociology has historically focused on monolingualism as the norm, which may not be accurate.
• 🧐 Executive control, responsible for attention and task distribution, is enhanced in bilinguals due to the need to manage multiple languages.
• 🌐 There is ongoing research into whether there are additional cognitive benefits to speaking more than two languages.
• 📚 Literacy in a language is not a prerequisite for the cognitive advantages of bilingualism.
• 👶🏻 Bilingual children may have smaller vocabularies initially, but they tend to catch up by age five.
• 🏡 The method of bilingual exposure (sequential or simultaneous) is less important than the amount of language input a child receives.

Q & A

What is the common assumption about language in large countries with dominant languages?

The common assumption is that everyone speaks the dominant language of the country well, and if they don't, it's considered their problem.

Why is monolingualism considered an aberration rather than the norm in the history of human society?

It's considered an aberration because historically, it's been more common for people to speak two or more languages.

What does recent research suggest about the cognitive advantages of bilingualism?

Recent research suggests that bilingualism provides significant cognitive advantages, such as a lower likelihood of Alzheimer's disease and improved attention and task distribution abilities.

What was the finding of the study conducted in Florida regarding Alzheimer's disease and bilingualism?

The study found that the likelihood of having Alzheimer's disease is five times less in people who grew up bilingual compared to monolinguals.

What was the 'Wonder Babies' study and what did it reveal about bilingual infants?

The 'Wonder Babies' study involved three groups of seven-month-old babies from Italian, Slovenian, and mixed Italian-Slovenian families. It revealed that bilingual babies were quicker to adapt to changes in their environment compared to monolingual babies.

What is the role of executive control in the cognitive advantages of bilingualism?

Executive control, a part of cognition responsible for attention and task distribution, is exercised more by bilinguals due to the constant need to suppress one language while using another, leading to better cognitive control.

Is there a significant advantage to speaking three languages over two, according to current research?

Current research does not show any significant advantage in the presence of three languages as opposed to two.

What are the concerns regarding the vocabulary of bilingual children compared to monolingual children?

There is a concern that bilingual children may have smaller vocabularies in each language due to exposure to two languages, but they usually catch up by age five.

What is the impact of literacy on bilingualism and multilingualism?

Literacy is secondary to language; even without written forms, languages can provide significant knowledge and cognitive advantages.

What is the recommended approach for raising bilingual children regarding language exposure?

The recommended approach is to provide as much exposure to each language as possible, rather than strictly adhering to the 'one parent, one language' model.

How can societal pressures affect minority language speakers and what can be done to counteract this?

Societal pressures can lead to language loss for minority language speakers. Increasing input, such as visiting countries where the language is predominant, can help counteract this.