Introduction to Language Learning
There are many reasons to learn a new language, whether it’s for work, a love interest, or a personal interest in the culture or people of a region. Studies have shown that learning languages also benefits general brain health. Learning a new language is like working out your brain; just as muscles become stronger with physical training, neural paths in the brain are formed when learning a new language.
Language Areas of the Brain
Before diving into the details of how learning a new language affects the brain, it’s essential to understand the basics of how language is processed in the brain. Language processing involves two important circuits: one for the truth and the basis of language, and another for selecting the language sounds to be used. These circuits are rewired when learning and changing. The brain needs sensory areas like the auditory cortex to process language noises and motor networks to coordinate the muscles involved in language production, such as controlling the tongue, lips, and vocal cords.
Key Brain Regions
Specific areas of the brain, such as Broca’s area in the frontal lobe, are mainly responsible for syntax, helping to construct grammatically correct sentences and understand sentence structure. Broca’s area also facilitates motor control required to articulate words. Another region, Wernicke’s area, plays a crucial role in understanding vocabulary and accessing words, helping to understand the meaning of words and store them in long-term memory.
Learning a New Language Physically Changes the Brain
Research has shown that learning a new language physically changes the brain. A study found that as people learned German, their brains rewired, indicating that the neuronal structures of the brain had physically changed. This process, referred to as neuroplasticity, is the mechanism on which learning is based. Learning a new language requires new pathways so that the brain can encode, store, and retrieve new linguistic information. Structurally, learning a language increases the gray matter in areas related to language processing and executive function. Functionally, it improves connectivity between brain regions, enabling more efficient communication between networks involved in attention, memory, and cognitive control.
Learning Languages as a Child is an Advantage
Studies indicate that we use the same brain networks for all languages, but the brain reacts differently to our mother tongue. Brain activity in voice networks actually decreases when participants hear their mother tongue, suggesting that the first language acquired is processed differently in the brain with minimal effort. Research also shows that it’s much easier for young children to learn new languages than for adults. Children’s brains are still developing and are more adaptable to neuronal plasticity and learning. Unlike adults, they don’t have to translate from their first language, making it easier to pick up sounds, grammar, and words.
Does Learning a Language Make You More Intelligent?
Some research suggests that multilingualism improves cognitive skills such as memory and problem-solving skills. However, it’s unclear whether polyglots are smarter. Speaking more than one language increases verbal repertoire, providing more words, elements, and concepts. Yet, it’s uncertain whether a larger vocabulary is due to a larger cognitive reserve or just more words in the brain’s memory banks, which is not the same as intelligence. To truly test whether polyglots are more intelligent, scientists need to find tasks unrelated to language. So far, the evidence is not clear that polyglots perform better on non-language tasks. Regardless of whether better cognitive skills equate to smartness, learning new languages undoubtedly opens up new cultural experiences in life.
