223,307 research outputs found
Selective deficit of second language: a case study of a brain-damaged Arabic-Hebrew bilingual patient
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An understanding of how two languages are represented in the human brain is best obtained from studies of bilingual patients who have sustained brain damage. The primary goal of the present study was to determine whether one or both languages of an Arabic-Hebrew bilingual individual are disrupted following brain damage. I present a case study of a bilingual patient, proficient in Arabic and Hebrew, who had sustained brain damage as a result of an intracranial hemorrhage related to herpes encephalitis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The patient's performance on several linguistic tasks carried out in the first language (Arabic) and in the second language (Hebrew) was assessed, and his performance in the two languages was compared.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The patient displayed somewhat different symptomatologies in the two languages. The results revealed dissociation between the two languages in terms of both the types and the magnitude of errors, pointing to aphasic symptoms in both languages, with Hebrew being the more impaired. Further analysis disclosed that this dissociation was apparently caused not by damage to his semantic system, but rather by damage at the lexical level.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results suggest that the principles governing the organization of lexical representations in the brain are not similar for the two languages.</p
Distinct distributed patterns of neural activity are associated with two languages in the bilingual brain
A large body of previous neuroimaging studies suggests that multiple languages are processed and organized in a single neuroanatomical system in the bilingual brain, although differential activation may be seen in some studies because of different proficiency levels and/or age of acquisition of the two languages. However, one important possibility is that the two languages may involve interleaved but functionally independent neural populations within a given cortical region, and thus, distinct patterns of neural computations may be pivotal for the processing of the two languages. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and multivariate pattern analyses, we tested this possibility in Chinese-English bilinguals when they performed an implicit reading task. We found a broad network of regions wherein the two languages evoked different patterns of activity, with only partially overlapping patterns of voxels in a given region. These regions, including the middle occipital cortices, fusiform gyri, and lateral temporal, temporoparietal, and prefrontal cortices, are associated with multiple aspects of language processing. The results suggest the functional independence of neural computations underlying the representations of different languages in bilinguals
Age of second language acquisition affects nonverbal conflict processing in children : an fMRI study
Background: In their daily communication, bilinguals switch between two languages, a process that involves the selection of a target language and minimization of interference from a nontarget language. Previous studies have uncovered the neural structure in bilinguals and the activation patterns associated with performing verbal conflict tasks. One question that remains, however is whether this extra verbal switching affects brain function during nonverbal conflict tasks.
Methods: In this study, we have used fMRI to investigate the impact of bilingualism in children performing two nonverbal tasks involving stimulus-stimulus and stimulus-response conflicts. Three groups of 8-11-year-old children - bilinguals from birth (2L1), second language learners (L2L), and a control group of monolinguals (1L1) - were scanned while performing a color Simon and a numerical Stroop task. Reaction times and accuracy were logged.
Results: Compared to monolingual controls, bilingual children showed higher behavioral congruency effect of these tasks, which is matched by the recruitment of brain regions that are generally used in general cognitive control, language processing or to solve language conflict situations in bilinguals (caudate nucleus, posterior cingulate gyrus, STG, precuneus). Further, the activation of these areas was found to be higher in 2L1 compared to L2L.
Conclusion: The coupling of longer reaction times to the recruitment of extra language-related brain areas supports the hypothesis that when dealing with language conflicts the specialization of bilinguals hampers the way they can process with nonverbal conflicts, at least at early stages in life
Marrying Science and Experience: An Exploration of How Multilinguals Interact With and Between Languages and Cultures
This paper will begin exploring bi- and multilingualism at an individual level. The author will explore previous research written on how the brain processes several languages, how languages might affect individuals emotionally, and how one switches between languages as well as the effects of this, if any. Beyond this, the experience of navigating languages between discourse communities and balancing two or more cultures will be considered. As the title suggests, the science of multilingualism will be married with the diverse individual experience while considering both intrapersonal and interpersonal relations. The author will look at her own experience as well as others’ to gain a sense of variability and contrast. To conclude, the implications for language teaching and possibilities for future research will be discussed
Recovery patterns and a linguistic therapy model of Sundanese-Indonesian bilingual aphasia: A neurolinguistic study
This study observed a 54-year-old patient with Sundanese-Indonesian bilingual aphasia at one brain hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. He underwent a speech therapy with the treatment given to his second language (Indonesian) during the first 2 weeks of post-onset, and received treatment to his both languages simultaneously for one and a half months post-onset. This research was conducted by using two approaches, namely, a theoretical approach and a methodological approach. In terms of the theory, the approach used in this study is neurolinguistic. In terms of the methodology, the approach is analytic-descriptive with a cohort method. The patient had been diagnosed with having expressive-receptive aphasia in both languages. Three-time evaluations of his competence in his two languages (during the period of one and a half months post-onset) showed an interesting recovery pattern. In the first evaluation result (two weeks post-onset), it was found that the patient showed a nonparallel recovery; Indonesian (the second language) recovered earlier than Sundanese (the first language). However, in the second evaluation result (a month post-onset), it was found that the improvement in proficiency of the languages showed a parallel recovery; the proficiency improvement of Indonesian after having been given treatment in the therapy showed a recovery parallel to that of Sundanese, even though Sundanese had not been given any treatment at all for a month post-onset. The linguistic track record of this patient showed that Indonesian had a higher level of familiarity compared to Sundanese, and this is correlated with the recovery process of both the languages
Non-Referentialist CHL as Error Minimization: Toward a Valuation-Free Agree Model
What are uninterpretable features (uFs, or morpho-syntactic features such as ϕ and case)?
What exactly is Agree? Where do they originate from? Two assumptions are utilized: the
converse of the referentialist doctrine for the computational procedures of human natural
language (CHL) (i.e., words do not refer; axiom one) and the error minimization hypothesis
(EMH) for nature, which contains EMH for CHL, resulting in a valuation-free Agree model.
The axiom one and EMH state that (a) both the conceptual-intentional system (CI) and
sensory-motor system (SM) are disconnected in the human brain, (b) as a result, the
human brain must connect two systems that are fundamentally different, namely, geometrybuilding narrow syntax (NS) and sound-wave-computing SM, and (c) uFs are errors that
emerge in our brain as a result of the mutated disconnection. CHL (NS) is a system that
strives to offset errors in order to approach a perfect computational system, deducing
the strong minimalist thesis (SMT). The valuation-free Agree model is based on the
grammatical feature hypothesis (consequent upon axiom one) and the error-minimization
algorithm (EMA) (a subset of EMH). The grammatical feature hypothesis holds that all
morpho-syntactic features are NS-computable and SM/CI-uncomputable. The valuation-free
Agree model is supported by evidence from languages such as English, French, Hindi, and
Japanese, being as it is that there are two types of EMA: error elimination under matching
(EMA ①) and error neutralization (EMA ②). EMA ① eliminates probe-goal uF (case and
ϕ) under the matching, where two Agree types exist in terms of feature inheritance timing.
EMA ② neutralizes uF: it eliminates ϕ as a reflex of case elimination, forcing the predicate
ϕ to default. The control issue (i.e., null case elimination of infinitive) and the seeming lack
of ϕ-agree in east Asian languages are incorporated in EMA ②departmental bulletin pape
Neural overlap of L1 and L2 semantic representations across visual and auditory modalities : a decoding approach/
This study investigated whether brain activity in Dutch-French bilinguals during semantic access to concepts from one language could be used to predict neural activation during access to the same concepts from another language, in different language modalities/tasks. This was tested using multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA), within and across language comprehension (word listening and word reading) and production (picture naming). It was possible to identify the picture or word named, read or heard in one language (e.g. maan, meaning moon) based on the brain activity in a distributed bilateral brain network while, respectively, naming, reading or listening to the picture or word in the other language (e.g. lune). The brain regions identified differed across tasks. During picture naming, brain activation in the occipital and temporal regions allowed concepts to be predicted across languages. During word listening and word reading, across-language predictions were observed in the rolandic operculum and several motor-related areas (pre- and postcentral, the cerebellum). In addition, across-language predictions during reading were identified in regions typically associated with semantic processing (left inferior frontal, middle temporal cortex, right cerebellum and precuneus) and visual processing (inferior and middle occipital regions and calcarine sulcus). Furthermore, across modalities and languages, the left lingual gyrus showed semantic overlap across production and word reading. These findings support the idea of at least partially language- and modality-independent semantic neural representations
It’s Not Brain Science… Or Is It? How Early Second Language Learning Can Impact Future Achievement
Capstone paper from 2015 spring MPA program. Instructed by Allen Zagoren.We live in a global economy, yet U.S. citizens lag far behind in the knowledge of other countries’ languages, cultures, customs, geographies and peoples. Equipping the next generation with foreign language skills as well as knowledge of other cultures and customs will not only provide increased career opportunities for individuals but also aid in the future success of the U.S. economy. The U.S. educational system does not stress the learning of language beyond English: K-12 curriculum is rigidly mandated, budgets are tight, class time and teacher training is limited, and language programs are often among the first to be cut during budget crises. There is a time period when a child’s brain is developing and most receptive to learning, and that is early childhood. If the seed were planted in a child before he/she enters kindergarten to learn the basics of a foreign language and culture, perhaps that knowledge could be nourished throughout the rest of their lives, preparing those children to embrace cultural differences, live and compete more successfully in an evolving and diverse world, and be better equipped for later education. Besides examining the current state of foreign language education in the U.S. and how learning occurs, the benefits of foreign language learning in relation to business and human relations are examined in this paper. Multiple solutions to solving the foreign language deficit are mentioned including a proposal for an early-learning language program
Cross-language differences in the brain network subserving intelligible speech
SIGNIFICANCE: Language processing is generally left hemisphere dominant. However, whether the interactions among the typical left hemispheric language regions differ across different languages is largely unknown. An ideal method to address this question is modeling cortical interactions across language groups, but this is usually constrained by the model space with the prior hypothesis due to massive computation demands. With cloud-computing, we used functional MRI dynamic causal modeling analysis to compare more than 4,000 models of cortical dynamics among critical language regions in the temporal and frontal cortex, established the bias-free information flow maps that were shared or specific for processing intelligible speech in Chinese and English, and revealed the neural dynamics between the left and right hemispheres in Chinese speech comprehension.
ABSTRACT: How is language processed in the brain by native speakers of different languages? Is there one brain system for all languages or are different languages subserved by different brain systems? The first view emphasizes commonality, whereas the second emphasizes specificity. We investigated the cortical dynamics involved in processing two very diverse languages: a tonal language (Chinese) and a nontonal language (English). We used functional MRI and dynamic causal modeling analysis to compute and compare brain network models exhaustively with all possible connections among nodes of language regions in temporal and frontal cortex and found that the information flow from the posterior to anterior portions of the temporal cortex was commonly shared by Chinese and English speakers during speech comprehension, whereas the inferior frontal gyrus received neural signals from the left posterior portion of the temporal cortex in English speakers and from the bilateral anterior portion of the temporal cortex in Chinese speakers. Our results revealed that, although speech processing is largely carried out in the common left hemisphere classical language areas (Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas) and anterior temporal cortex, speech comprehension across different language groups depends on how these brain regions interact with each other. Moreover, the right anterior temporal cortex, which is crucial for tone processing, is equally important as its left homolog, the left anterior temporal cortex, in modulating the cortical dynamics in tone language comprehension. The current study pinpoints the importance of the bilateral anterior temporal cortex in language comprehension that is downplayed or even ignored by popular contemporary models of speech comprehension
Language and Culture
Language pervades social life. It is a primary means by which we gain access to the contents of others\u27 minds and establish shared understanding of the reality. Meanwhile, there is an enormous amount of linguistic diversity among human populations. Depending on what counts as a language, there are 3,000 to 10,000 living languages in the world, although a quarter of the world’s languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers and half have fewer than 10,000 (Crystal, 1997). Not surprisingly, a key question in culture and psychology research concerns the role of language in cultural processes. The present chapter focuses on two issues that have received by far the greatest amount of research attention from cultural researchers. First, how does language and human cultures co-evolve? Second, what are the non-linguistic cognitive effects of using a certain language? Does speaking different languages orient individuals to see and experience the external reality differently? The scope of the present chapter does not permit a comprehensive review of all pertinent research; only a selected sample of studies will be used to illustrate the main ideas in the present chapter
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