Problems with language learning? Blame it on your brain connections!

Are you a frustrated language learner?

Join the crowd.  Most adults I have encountered in my language teaching career suffer from some degree of language learning anxiety.  And oh, the damage language learning does to our self images as bright, competent adults!  Do some people really have an easier time learning language?

Always intrigued by information on how we acquire other languages, I enjoyed reading a recent article entitled "Why some people find learning a language harder than others." (www.telegraph.co.uk)  Researchers found that the manner in which our brains are "wired"  for various areas to communicate with each other may explain why some adults learn languages faster and more successfully.

Thank goodness.  Maybe my failure to become fluent in Irish Gaelic is not all my fault, after all.

When a group of fifteen English speakers were enrolled in a 12 week course to study French,  their language abilities in French were first tested.  Also before the course began, they were given brains scans (fMRI) to determine the strength of the connections between parts of their brains and two important language centers in the brain.  One center deals with verbal fluency; the other with visual word form. Connections in the brain play a large role in learning, especially when the brain is at rest, so strong communication between brain areas is important.

At the end of the course, the participants were asked to display their abilities in French by speaking in response to a verbal cue and by reading aloud in French.  Here is what the researchers found.  The participants who had stronger brain connections showed the greatest improvement in speaking.

So where does this research leave those of us who dream of becoming polyglots?

Researchers suggest that the new findings may help us better understand individual language learning differences and develop teaching methods to respond to differences.  Others state that we may be able to predict who will succeed and who will fail based on information from brain scans.  ( Note:  I really don't want to find out my brain connections are weak- learning languages is too enjoyable a hobby for me!)

And we have to consider the concept of nature vs. nurture.  Perhaps one's brain has an innate tendency to a certain strength of communication, but learning and experience will also play a part in shaping the brain, which is sometimes described as being plastic.

Until more is learned about the role of brain connections in language learning,  I have not yet found a creditable argument for giving up my daily language study sessions.

And I'm secretly delighted.

What is in your 'black box'?

Linguists would be so happy if they could only take a direct look inside your head when you are using language!  They refer to your brain as a 'black box' because it doesn't give up its secrets easily.  Where is language located? How does language happen? These questions belong to the field of neurolinguistics.

We know (or think we know!) a few facts about language and the brain.  We believe that language is located in the brain.  And because of  experiments that were done in the 19th century in Europe, we believe that certain areas in the brain may be specialized for specific language functions.

We also know that the brain is divided into two hemispheres, named 'left brain' and 'right brain'.  For most people, language is concentrated in the left hemisphere.  You may remember the terms 'left brain' and 'right brain' from pop psychology of several years ago.  Left brain people were described as analytical list makers, while right brain people were creative pattern makers.  It isn't quite that simple or neatly divided. While the left brain is very important in language comprehension and production, the right brain may also play a role.

Here is a diagram of the left brain.  There are two important areas for language.  One is Broca's area, which is the language production area.  Another is Wernicke's area, which is the comprehension area. Although these areas are specialized for language, other areas and connections may also play a role in language.

Aphasia (language loss) occurs when one of the areas is damaged.  Damage to Broca's area results in a patient who may comprehend language but whose speech is  telegraphic and agrammatic.  Only essential words are used and production of sounds may be difficult.  In contrast, damage to Wernicke's area results in a patient who has what is known as 'fluent aphasia.'  The patient can speak but cannot use the right words to create an understandable meaning.

Another interesting fact about language and the brain is that if a child is not allowed to hear language before puberty, the child will never be able to use language normally.  It is as if the brain becomes less flexible after a certain age.  This is known as the "Critical (or sometimes Sensitive) Age" hypothesis.  Fortunately, this is not the case for us "over the hill" second language learners.  It is believed that second language learning involves many areas in the brain.  What a relief!

New imaging techniques, such as fMRI's are helping linguists find out more about the 'black box.' We need to stay tuned, because we are going to learn much more in the future about language and the brain.