This is how learning a second language develops your brain
(French / Spanish / English / Chinese / Russian)
We’ve all heard that a learning a second language is “good for your brain”, but few of you probably know if this is actually true, as you may never have been explained the science behind this claim. Today we’ll be looking into the reasons for how this is true, and why language tuition could be for you. GCSE and A-level tutoring can obviously help one's academic success. But could French, Spanish, English, Chinese or Russian online tuition improve your life beyond mere linguistic or academic benefits?
Today we’ll be learning about:
1. Theory
2. Brain development for older learners
3. Brain development for the young
As a teacher of modern languages at University of Bristol, as well as running Horizons Tutors now for 7 years, I have experienced first hand how language learning affects one’s brain. But I had never looked into the research carried out to see the actual results, so I decided to do some digging.
Let’s dive right in.
1. Theory
In an interview with Knowable Magazine, psycholinguist Mark Antoniou of Western Sydney explains that the first main advantage of language development involves what’s loosely referred to as “executive function”, which refers to “skills that allow you to control, direct and manage your attention, as well as your ability to plan”. Language learning encompasses all these things, so by doing it you train your executive function.
In short, learning a language affects your cognition — that being the mental processes of the brain.
Specifically, 3 particular parts of the brain are affected, which are: the prefrontal cortex, the bilateral supramarginal gyri, and the anterior cingulate.
(Find the full interview with Mark Antoniou here.)
The prefrontal cortex is where language development really becomes beneficial, as it is the location of the brain in which advanced processing takes place.
Developing your prefrontal cortex develops your decision making and your analytical thinking, which will create so many benefits in your life. Think of it like training in the gym, where you train certain muscle to grow, so they will be able to perform difficult tasks at future times. Similarly, training your prefrontal cortex keeps you “on the ball” so to speak, keeping your brain alert and functioning effectively and efficiently, which is why it is so beneficial to both young and older learners, as we’ll see later in the article. Language tuition can clearly be beneficial beyond the mere acquirement of foreign linguistic skills.
Studies also show the supramarginal gyri to be affected by language learning.
The supramarginal gyri play a role in linking words and meanings. The right-hemisphere supramarginal gyrus appears to play a central role in controlling empathy towards other people. When this structure isn't working properly or when having to make very quick judgements, empathy becomes severely limited. The left-hemisphere supramarginal gyrus interprets tactile sensory data and is involved in perception of space and limbs location.
Both hemispheres are stimulated when learning a foreign language, like Spanish, French or Russian. Therefore, both the social skill of empathy in right-hemisphere supramarginal gyrus, as well as the tactile skills of the left-hemisphere are developed when learning a foreign language. Who knew that language acquisition could also help your social skills and your hand-eye coordination?
The anterior cingulate is the final area of the brain which is shown to be developed in language tuition or acquirement.
The anterior cingulate is also involved in certain higher-level functions, such as attention allocation, reward anticipation, decision-making, ethics and morality, impulse control (e.g. performance monitoring and error detection), and emotion. Therefore, the anterior cingulate cortex can be divided into both cognitive (dorsal), and emotional (ventral) components.
The anterior cingulate really demonstrates how both cognitive and social skills are developed through learning a foreign language, like French or Spanish. It keeps both your brain’s alertness and your morality in check. Both of which are of course essential for success of any kind in life. How useful is brain aptitude if one has no social skills? And how beneficial is strong morality without the cognition to affect the change that you want to see?
The nitty gritty.
So what actually happens when these brain areas are “developed”?
Studies show that learning a language increases the volume and density of gray matter, the volume of white matter, and brain connectivity.
“The brain is made up of cells called neurons, which each have a cell body and little branching connections called dendrites. Gray matter refers to how many cell bodies and dendrites there are. Bilingual experience makes gray matter denser, so you have more cells. This is an indication of a healthier brain”, Antoniou explains.
Results from a study measuring gray-matter volumes in monolingual or bilingual undergraduates. Red areas indicate where gray-matter volumes were greater in one group versus the other. In total, study participants who spoke both English and Spanish had greater gray-matter volume compared to participants who spoke only English.
CREDIT: ADAPTED FROM O.A. OLULADE ET AL / CEREBRAL CORTEX 2016
Gray matter is tissue found on the surface of the brain, whereas white matter is found in the deeper tissues of the brain, and is also affected in language acquisition. White matter protects the nerve fibers from injury, and also improves the speed and transmission of electrical nerve signals along extensions of the nerve cells called axons.
2. Brain development for older learners
First off, let’s tackle a myth that is all to prevalent in modern society, that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”.
This myth is ever-prevalent, and although it is obviously true that older learners can be slower at picking things up, it is simply not true that they cannot learn new things!
And regardless of speed, the fact of the matter is that language learning is incredibly beneficial for older people. In this respect, perpetuating this myth can have disastrous effects as it encourages older people to not both keeping their brain active, as what is the point if they can’t do it?
So, why is learning a foreign language so beneficial for an older brain?
The most important reason for it (and why telling them not to do so is so harmful) is that it has been proven to decrease the risk of developing dementia.
Several studies have concluded, with consistent results, that being bilingual can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by as many as four years. One study that evaluated the onset of Alzheimer’s in 450 participants concluded, “What we’ve been able to show is that in these patients…all of whom have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and are all at the same level of impairment, the bilinguals on average are four to five years old – which means they’ve been able to cope with the disease.”
Shouldn’t “old dogs” be being encouraged to stimulate their brains (with such fantastic proven results), and not told that they can’t do it?
Obviously, there are other language tuition benefits, including:
1. international travel becoming less stressful
2. improving your brain’s functionality (as discussed previously)
3. improving your decision making skills (again as discussed previously)
4. taking yourself out of your comfort zone (a known antidote to depression)
There are clear benefits of language acquisition for the older generation, but they are not the only section of society that receives non-linguistic benefits from learning a foreign language. The young mind (the growing mind) can benefit in a similar, but slightly different way, while it is being moulded by the stimulus it is being provided daily. Let’s see how.
3. Brain development for the young
It’s never too early to begin learning a language: it’s fun, it promotes healthy development, and the many cognitive and social benefits will last a lifetime.
Typically, children will learn the language much faster than their parents, but perhaps for reasons that you hadn’t suspected.
Let’s take the example —brought up by Danijela Trenkic, a psycholinguist at the University of York — of a family moving to a new country. Usually, children will indeed learn the language much faster than their parents. But that may be because they hear it constantly at school, while their parents might be working alone. The children may also feel a greater sense of urgency since mastering the language is crucial to their social survival: making friends, being accepted, fitting in. Whereas, the parents are likely to socialise with fellow immigrants to fit in, and therefore don’t have the need to develop the language like the child does.
In this respect, the fact that children pick up languages quicker is far more situational. Take another example, of a parent and child both learning a foreign language while living in the home country. Again, situationally a child may be seen to be improving in a faster and more effortless manner. But in fact, the child usually just has more studying hours at their school than the parent would have space in their schedule to commit to. What’s more, the child has more free time after school to continue their studies if they enjoy it.
The situation the child is placed in makes their brain more adaptable to take new information in, and really learn it.
Regardless of reason, a study at sciencedirect.com found that “early childhood is the best time for language acquisition. Ease of learning a foreign language diminishes with age. Between birth and adolescence the brain is hard-wired to acquire
language naturally.”
Science Direct provide the following results of the success rate of learning a second language of children in the early years:
These results would seem obvious if this were a study on the success rate of learning your first language, but this study notably analyses the success rate of learning a second language, and thus discredits the notion that learning two languages at a young age confuses the brain, leaving neither language fully developed and the brain undeveloped.
On the contrary, language development at a young age is beneficial for precisely the opposite reason: it develops the brain at this crucial stage of growth, building this skills and traits that are likely to be inante in years to come.
The benefits.
Once again the benefits of learning a language on the young brain extend far further than linguistic aptitude. Studies suggest that at a cognitive and academic level, children learning an additional language are more creative, better at solving complex problems and usually score higher on standardised tests. Once children know a second language, it is easier for them to understand further languages' structures, which is why experts say that every new language learnt is easier than the one before.
Studies also show that children who learn a language before their teenage years are more likely than older learners to achieve native-like pronunciation and fluency.
However, both for older and younger learners, language learning's real success is its healthy development of the brain, which encourages stimulation of neurons, combating brain failure in the elderly and boosting social skills and brain aptitude in the young.
So are you going to learn a language?!
Have you learned something today that is going to encourage you to ensure your (or your child's) mental health and brain aptitude?
If you are feeling inspired to learn a language, you can do so online with us at Horizons Tutors from the comfort of your own home. Follow this link to see the languages that we offer, and do send us a message to inquire about the availability of our tutors.
