Bilingual Essay

Learning More Than One Language Can Build Better Brains

Having the ability to speak more than one language doesn’t just allow one to communicate with a broader group of people but it actually can make you smarter. Studies on whether language has any effect on the brain prove that the more languages you know the better shape your brain will be in. The different grammatical and symbolic inscriptions activate the brain areas involved with memory and learning in order to remember and allow you to switch back and forth from one language to the other. This is why bilinguals are better at multi-tasking than monolinguals, because they have to frequently change perspectives on a daily basis. Memory use is constantly stimulated which might be a reason why it slows the onset of dementia in old age. Knowing more than one language strengthens cognitive muscles in the brain and improves your health status by being able to slow the onset of dementia. The early 20th century use to think that knowing more than one language interfered with “a child’s academic and intellectual development” (Bhattacharjee, 2012). But recent studies prove otherwise. In a bilinguals brain, “both language systems are active even when he is using only one language, thus creating situations in which one system obstructs the other” (Bhattacharjee, 2012). They were right on the interference, but wrong on the classification of interference of language in the brain. “It forces the brain to resolve internal conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its cognitive muscles” (Bhattacharjee, 2012). Grammar differs from language to language. In English for instance, the subject of a sentence comes up first and then the action. In languages such as Turkish or Farsi, the action comes before the subject. For example, if a person were to say “I will clean,” in English, the subject comes up front first and then the action that the subject acts upon comes after. But in Farsi, the sentence structure is different. “I will clean” will be spoken or written “clean I will”. The action comes before the subject. These grammatical differences demand the brain to remember various structures from one language to the other. Bilinguals are proven to do much better in problem solving and creative thinking than monolinguals. “The differences were linked to the mental alertness required to switch between languages, which could develop skills useful in other types of thinking” (Science Daily, 2012). Switching from one language to another requires the brain to remember the language patterns. Reading patterns differ from one language to the other. English is written and read from left to write, while Arabic is written and read from right to left. Farsi and Malay are some of the languages written using Arabic characters with additional letters of their own. Turkish and Azerbaijani, used to be written with the Arabic scriptures but the modern language is written in English characters. They can be written in both alphabets as can Malay. These languages have words originating from the Arabic language, thus they sound familiar to that idiom. German, French and Spanish are similar to the English language. Perhaps learning a whole new language totally different than ones mother tongue could produce better results in the brain. Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen recommends to “stretch your brain further by picking a language that has little in common with English” in order to allow the brain to be affected by language further. The differences of the alphabets and grammars of other languages such as Arabic, Russian, Chinese etc., compared to English creates a bigger challenge for the brain causing it to work harder and remember more. “Growing up with several languages builds more brain cells and improves their connections. It also makes your brain work harder all the time as you process information” (Oz & Roizen, 2011). Arabic speakers, who come to America to study mathematics or any other field of study that requires a lot of math courses, have to learn two different ways of solving a math problem. Since Arabic is written from right to left, the solving method to a math problem is also switched. They perform the task backwards and that requires them to learn the problem solving method of English speaking countries. “Our study has found that it can have demonstrable benefits, not only in language but in arithmetic, problem solving and enabling children to think creatively. We also assessed the children’s vocabulary, not so much for their knowledge of words as their understanding of them (Science Daily, 2012). Vocabulary is also another factor in languages that produces benefits to the brain. For instance one word in a language such as Turkish could mean many things and they would use that word to describe or to address or say many things with that one word. English has many words to describe one thing or object or sensation etc. Both of these languages demand the brain to store all of this vocabulary information in order to speak. This may be why bilinguals show that they have more vivid descriptions of words then monolinguals. Dr. Fraser Lauchlan says that “there was a marked difference in the level of detail and richness in description from the bilingual pupils” (Science Daily, 2012). Language can expose one to diverse sets of cultures. Phrases often used in languages can tell a lot about the culture that speaks that certain language. For example, “dog” is a slang word or a gangster hip-hop cultured word which is used to address a brother or a friend. In cultures such as Turkey or Afghan culture, dog is considered an offence as well as “donkey”. So to offend someone or to insult, one would say “he is like a dog” or “he is like a donkey” to mean negative things such as dumb or stupid. In western culture, “dog” is not considered an offence; rather it is thought to be identified as a gangster word. We can learn a lot about a culture and a different perception of the world from language which is why bilinguals or tri-linguals are known to have a diverse perspective of the world. They also are more cooperative and are familiar with compromising than monolinguals. The constant memory usage of bilinguals may be the reason why it slows the development of dementia. Knowing more than two languages has a better affect and reduces the risks even further (Oz & Roizen, 2011). Since languages have many rulings of their own, bilinguals would have to remember all the rules in order to speak formally, write, and hold casual conversations with people. The switching back and forth technique frequently activates the brain area containing memory keeping it stimulated at all times. Dr. Schweizer said that “because bilingual people constantly switch from one language to another or suppress one language to speak in the other, their brains may be better prepared to compensate through enhanced brain networks or pathways when Alzheimer's sets in” (Science Daily, 2011). This may be why learning a new language is encouraged if you are trying to keep your brain from deteriorating. Dr. Schweizer also said that “bilingual people are constantly using their brain and keeping it active, which may contribute to overall brain health. That's why many physicians encourage older people to do crossword puzzles or Sudoku“(Science Daily, 2011). Languages can surprisingly affect the brain in a very positive way. The skepticism on whether being bilingual or tri-lingual has any affect on a person has opened a whole research area on this subject. These studies found that languages not only serve as a convenient way to speak to diverse groups of people, but it does many great things in the brain. Learning languages very different to ones mother tongue does produce better results, so people who know English should try aiming for Arabic, Korean, or Chinese as Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael F. Rozien suggested. Bilinguals also score much higher on IQ tests because languages allow one to focus on important information and discard unimportant information. These many studies on whether language has any effect on a person’s intellectual abilities prove that bilingualism is useful not only communicatively but does actually build better brains.
Resources
Bhattacharjee, Y. (2012, March 17). Why bilinguals are smarter. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html?_r=0

Oz, M., & Roizen, M. (2011, May 19). Reduce risk of dementia: Improve your memory, learn a language. Retrieved from www.realage.com/blogs/doctor-oz-roizen/help-prevent-dementia-grow-a-bigger-brain-with-languages

Bilingualism 'can increase mental agility’. (2012, August 3). Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120803082915.htm

First physical evidence bilingualism delays onset of alzheimer's symptoms. (2011, October 13). Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111013121701.htm