Questions about issues in the news for students 13 and older.
Cognitive neuroscientist Ellen Bialystok has been studying how being able to speak two languages sharpens the mind. In her conversation with Claudia Dreifus, she states that kids who are bilingual have a way of thinking that helps them better distinguish important information from the less important. Are you or someone you are close to able to speak two (or more) languages fluently? Have you noticed any advantages other than being able to communicate with more people?
In the article based on their conversation “The Bilingual Advantage,” Ellen Bialystok explains why bilinguals are able to sort information as they do:
There’s a system in your brain, the executive control system. It’s a general manager. Its job is to keep you focused on what is relevant, while ignoring distractions. It’s what makes it possible for you to hold two different things in your mind at one time and switch between them.
If you have two languages and you use them regularly, the way the brain’s networks work is that every time you speak, both languages pop up and the executive control system has to sort through everything and attend to what’s relevant in the moment. Therefore the bilinguals use that system more, and it’s that regular use that makes that system more efficient.
Students: Tell us what languages you speak. If you know more than one language, do you think in one and “translate” your thoughts when you wish to speak in your other language(s)? What is this like? If you have bilingual friends, have you noticed what Ms. Bialystok observes about those who speak multiple languages being able to sort information quickly? If you are learning a second or third language, have you found yourself thinking in the new language at times? What is the hardest part about learning a new language? The best part?