Ukrainian and Russian: How Similar Are These Two Languages?
Russian and Ukrainian may be ‘siblings’ but they are more different than you think.
Boost Your Brain: The Benefits of Learning a New Language
The brain is remarkable, but like any muscle, it needs regular exercise to stay sharp. Here's how learning a new language can be an effective workout for your mind.
The human brain is a truly remarkable. Weighing just 1.2–1.4 kg (2.6–3.1 lbs), it controls every function in our body—from memory, speech, and movement to regulating other organs. It also processes external information, drives our emotions, and shapes our intelligence and creativity. In essence, the brain is what defines who we are, making it the core of our identity and individuality.
The Brain’s Remarkable Ability to Multitask
Understanding Multitasking Limitations:
- Multitasking Struggles: It’s challenging to effectively read a book while taking phone calls. Dividing attention between tasks often results in diminished performance in both.
- Effective Multitasking Rarity: Only a few people can truly multitask without compromising quality or accuracy.
How the Brain Manages Multitasking:
- Complex Information Processing: The human brain simultaneously receives data from all five senses—sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing.
- Integrated Function Management: It processes and interprets sensory information while also controlling critical bodily functions like heartbeat, blood flow, eye movement, and breathing. This remarkable capability is what we refer to as multitasking.
The Human Brain and Language Processing
Understanding Brain Function and Language
- Language Processing: Typically, the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for language and speech, while the right hemisphere aids in interpreting visual stimuli and spatial processing.
- Individual Variations: Not everyone fits this general pattern. For instance, left-handed individuals may require special testing to identify their speech center location, especially before surgery involving the temporal or frontal lobes.
The Uniqueness of Human Language Processing
Complex Communication: Language processing is a defining feature of human cognition, allowing us to use words to convey complex thoughts, ideas, and emotions. Communication is fundamental to human interaction, much like water or food is to our survival. Without communication, our world would feel empty and disconnected.
Overcoming Communication Barriers
- Diverse Languages: With approximately 7,000 languages worldwide, communication can sometimes be challenging due to language barriers.
- Learning New Languages: Fortunately, the human brain is adept at learning new languages. Whether through books, teachers, or language learning apps like Mondly, the brain can effectively assimilate new spoken and written symbols.
The Cognitive Benefits of Learning a New Language
Every language we speak is a different cognitive universe because it uses different sounds, different vocabulary, and different symbols to represent words. Thus, learning a new language is discovering a new cognitive universe. That is why switching between different languages can sometimes alter a person’s way of thinking, personality or the way they perceive the world.
And this is not a mere observation. “Two Languages, Two Minds: Flexible Cognitive Processing Driven by Language of Operation”, a study that appeared in the journal Psychological Science, shows that people that speak both English and German tend to comprehend and define a certain context differently based on the language they speak at the moment. Mind-blowing, isn’t it? Exaggerating the situation a little bit, we could say that speaking, for instance, four languages, is like having four personalities.
Scientific Studies on Bilingualism and Brain Function
Linguists and psychologists have been arguing for decades on this matter: does language learning actually help the brain? Studies in recent years say “yes, it does.
But once upon a time, when technology was not as developed as it is today and studies were not yet as many, experts thought that raising children in a bilingual environment would slow down their intellectual growth, resulting in a lower IQ.
Fortunately, in 1962, Elizabeth Peal and Wallace Lambert at McGill University in Montreal conducted a key study entitled “The relation of bilingualism to intelligence”. The study showed that bilingual children actually outperformed monolinguals in 15 verbal and nonverbal tests.
More recent studies confirmed the initial 1962 results and showed that bilingual 5-to-7-year-olds responded faster to memory games and were better at ignoring distraction than monolinguals of the same age. Furthermore, a report from the National Education Association on “The Benefits of Second Language Study” shows that children who study foreign languages are more creative, have an overall faster cognitive development and perform better in math, social studies and reading.
Moving to a higher age group – 24 years old, researchers from Moscow and Helsinki used EEG (electroencephalography) to probe the brain mechanisms involved in language learning and found that learning languages enhances brain plasticity and increases the capacity to assimilate further knowledge.
In another similar study conducted in Sweden, researchers used an MRI to scan the subjects’ brains and found out that the brains of the group that learned Arabic, Russian and Dari intensively developed in size whereas the brain structures of the control group remained unchanged.
The series of eloquent studies continues with Dr. Thomas Bak, renowned neuroscientist, together with Mariana Vega-Mendoza and Antonella Sorace from the University of Edinburgh. After testing 38 monolingual and 60 bilingual university students with Tests of Everyday Attention (TEA), the researchers concluded that bilinguals outperformed monolinguals on auditory attention tests showing that the effects of bilingualism also extend into the auditory domain.
Language Learning and Brain Health: A Protective Measure Against Dementia
And that is certainly not everything. In recent years, researchers conducted dozens of studies showing the positive effects of language learning on the brain. But by far the most interesting studies are the ones showing that learning a second language can protect your brain against Alzheimer’s and dementia.
In fact, there are multiple studies that show that bilingual people show symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other dementias 4.5 years later than people who speak just one language.
Learning new languages not only enriches our cognitive abilities but also strengthens brain function and resilience. As research continues to reveal the profound benefits of bilingualism, from improved memory to delayed dementia onset, it becomes clear that language learning is a powerful tool for enhancing brain health. By embracing new languages, we not only expand our horizons but also support the ongoing vitality and adaptability of our most vital organ
Can the brain truly multitask effectively?
The brain manages multiple functions simultaneously, but dividing focus between tasks often leads to decreased efficiency.
Does language processing differ for left-handed people?
Yes, left-handed individuals might have different brain regions for language and may require specialized tests to determine their speech center.
How does learning a new language impact brain health?
Learning a new language enhances cognitive abilities and can provide protection against cognitive decline and dementia.
Keep your brain young with continuous training
It’s now clearer than ever why the brain is often compared to a muscle.
Now you have every reason to start learning a new language. Whether you pick up a book or explore one of the 41 languages Mondly offers, spending just 10 minutes a day on language learning will keep your brain strong and healthy, like the true champion it is!
Are you ready to start your brain training now?
