Unit1Language

Session1

Overview

ContentsListeningfocusesSpeakingfocuses

?Listeningfbrspecific?Talkingaboutthe

TopicI:Top10reasonstoinfonnationbenefitsoflearninga

learnaforeignlanguageforeignlanguage

?Listeningfbrgist?Talkingaboutfavorites

Topic2:Seventipstolearna?Listeningfbrspecificandgivingreasons

newlanguageinformation

?Listeningfbrlanguage

?Listeningfbrgist?Talkingaboutchanges

?Listeningfbrspecific

Topic3:Doesgrammarmatter?

information

?Listeningfbrlanguage

?Listeningfbrgist?Talkingaboutplans

Topic4:Thebenefitsofa?Listeningfbrspecific

bilingualbraininformation

?Listeningfbrlanguage

Topic1Top10reasonstolearnaforeignlanguage

(1'12"152words)10mins

Task1Listeningforspecificinformation

Teachingtips:

1.Forthistask,playtherecordingtwiceifnecessary.

2.TheaimofthishumorousTVshowistowarmupstudentsfbrthefollowinglistening.

Trynottospendtoomuchtimeonthistopic.

Key:

Top10reasonstolearnaforeignlanguage

No.10:Understandwhat'sbeensaidaboutyouwhenyou'resureit'snotgood.

No.9:Understandwhatyourfortunecookiereallymeans.

No.8:Beabletotalktoyourexoticbride.

No.7:Don'taccidentallyordersomethingwronginarestaurant.

No.6:Swearinfrontofyourkidswithoutthemknowingit

No.5:KnowwhatyourJapanesetadooreallymeans.

No.4:Getbettertechnicalsupport.

No.3:Celebratemoreholidays.

No.2:Confusetelemarketersoranyoneyouarctryingtoavoid.

No.I:Getoutofembarrassingsituationsbyactingkkeyoudon'tknowEnglish

Task2Follow-up

Teachingtip:

TheteachermayaskstudentsthebenefitsoflearningEnglishandmakealistoftheirtop

5or10reasonstolearnaforeignlanguage.

Notesonlanguageandbackground:

1.Afortunecookieisacrispcookiewithapieceofpaper,a"fbrtune”,onwhichisan

aphorism,oravagueprophecy.ThemessageinsidemayalsoincludeaChinese

phrasewithtranslationand/oralistofluckynumbers.Fortunecookiesarcoften

senedasadessertinChineserestaurantsintheUnitedStatesandsomeother

countries.

2.swear:touseprofaneoaths;tocurse

3.Technicalsupport(oftenshortenedtotechsupport)referstoservicesthatentities

providetousersoftechnologyproductsorservices.Ingeneral,technicalsupport

provideshelpregardingspecificproblemswithaproductorservice,ratherthan

providingtraining,provisionorcustomizationofproduct,orothersupportservices.

Mostcompaniesoffertechnicalsupportfbrtheservicesorproductstheysell,either

includedinthecostorfbranadditionalfee.Technicalsupportmaybedeliveredover

byphone,e-mail,livesupportsoftwareonawebsite,orothertoolswhereuserscan

loganincident.

4.telemarketer:asalespersonwhocontactspeopleviathetelephone

Scripts:

Welcomeback,ladiesandgentlemen!It'stimefortoday'sTop10list.Todayis

“Top10reasonstolearnaforeignlanguage?'Areyouready?No.10,understandwhat's

beensaidaboutyouwhenyou'resureit'snotgood.No.9,understandwhatyourfortune

cookiereallymeans.No.8,beabletotalktoyourexoticbride.That'sagoodone.No.7,

don'taccidentallyordersomethingwronginarestaurant.No.6,swearinfrontofyour

kidswithoutthemknowingit.No.5,knowwhatyourJapanesetattooreallymeans.No.4,

getbettertechnicalsupport.No.3,celebratemoreholidays.No.2,confusetelemarketers

oranyoneyou'retryingtoavoid.AndNo.1,ladiesandgentlemen,getoutof

embarrassingsituationsbyactinglikeyoudon'tknowEnglish.

Topic2Seventipstolearnanewlanguage

(3'35"503words)25mins

Task1Warm-up

Teachingtip:

Severalminutes,discussionoftheirowneffectivewaysoflearningEnglishwillacquaint

themwith,andarousetheirinterestinthetopic.

Task2Listeningforgist

Key:

1.DrownyourselftoswimmingA.Learningvocabularybylisteningandrepeating

2.ImmersionB.Learningvocabularybycreatingassociations

3.Mnemonics一/C.Learningwithothers

4.ScriptoriumD.Learningbylivingwherethelanguageisspoken

5.Shadowing//\E.Learningthroughwritingthelanguageand

readingitoutloud

6.Techandapps.F.Learningthroughexposureandcontext

7.GetastudybuddyG.Learningusingonlineresources

Task3Listeningforspecificinformation

Keys:

TipsDetails

Itmightbepainfblandlonelyattimes,butyouwill

1.Drownyourselftoswimmingsurelylearnhowtosseakthelanguageandenjoysome

memorableexperiences.

ComparedwithTip1,thisisperhapseasierbutalso

2.Immersion

effective.

3.MnemonicsItmakesiteasytoremembernewvocabulary.

Itforcesyourselftoslowdownandpayattentionto

4.Scriptoriumdetailandthenreviewunknownwordsandrefresh

yourgrammar.

Usingthistechniquewhilewalkingswiftlymayhelpto

5.Shadowing

maximizealertnessandbloodflow.

Duolingoteachesmanylanguagesentirelyfor什cc.

6.Techandapps

Quizlctisagreattooltostudyvocabulary.

YouTuberTimothyDoner,akaPolyglotPal,

7.Getastudybuddyrecommendstoconnectwithpeoplefromaroundthe

worldtoteachandleamfYomeachotherviaSkype.

Task4Listeningforlanguage

Teachingtip:

Mostofthemissingwords/phrasesareorcontainintensifiers,whichareusedtoaddforce

oremphasis.

Keys:

1.Leavethecomfortofyourhomeandgototheplacewheretheyspeaknothingbutthe

languagethatyouwanttolearn.

2.Itmightbepainfulandlonelyattimes,butyouwillsurelyleamhowtospeakthe

languageandenjoysomememorableexperiences.

3.Perhapseasierandalsoeffectiveisimmersionorwhenyoulearnanewlanguage

throughexposureandcontext.

4.YoucantrytoreadthemenuormaybeevengoasfhrastoorderinItalian.Antipasti,

pizzatonno,orgelatoanybody?

5.Scriptoriumisanexerciseinwriting.Studentswritethelanguagewhile

simultaneouslyspeakingitoutloud.

6.Duolingo,fbrexample,teachesmanylanguagesentirelyfbrfree.

7.Ifyouarcnotintotechnologyandwouldratherlearnwithothers,dowhatpopular

YouTuberTimothyDoner,akaPolyglotPal,recommends.

8.It'soneofthethingsthatworkedforhim.Andhealreadyspeaks20languagesand

he'snoteven18.

Notesonlanguageandbackground:

1.pizzeria:aplacewherepizzasaremadeandsold

2.Duolingoisafreemiumlanguage-learningplatformthatincludesalanguage-

learningwebsiteandapp,aswellasadigitallanguageproficiencyassessmentexam.

AsofOctober2018,thelanguage-learningwebsiteandappoffer81different

languagecoursesacross37languages.Theapphasabout300millionregistered

usersacrosstheworld.

3.Quizletisamobileandweb-basedstudyapplicationthatallowsstudentstostudy

infbnnationvialearningtoolsandgames.Itiscurrentlyusedby2-in-3highschool

studentsandl-in-3collegestudentsintheUnitedStates.ItwascreatedbyAndrew

SutherlandinOctober2005andreleasedtothepublicinJanuary2007.Quizlettrains

studentsviaflashcardsandvariousgamesandtests.AsofApril30,2018,Quizlet

hasover200millionuscr-gcncratcdflashcardsetsandmorethan30millionactive

users.Itnowranksamongthetop50websitesintheU.S.

Scripts:

Inthisvideo,weintioducesevenwaystolearnanewlanguage.

“Drownyourselftoswimming”Leavethecomfortofyourhomeandgototheplace

wheretheyspeaknothingbutthelanguagethatyouwanttolearn.Thenlivetheretorthe

nextsixtotwelvemonths.Itmightbepainfulandlonelyattimes,butyouwillsurely

learnhowtospeakthelanguageandenjoysomememorableexperiences.

“Immersion“Perhapseasierandalsoeffectiveisimmersionorwhenyouleamanew

languagethroughexposureandcontext.So,fbrexample,ifyouarelearningItalian,doso

inapizzeria.Youcantrytoreadthemenuormaybeevengoasfaras(to)orderinItalian.

Antipasti,pizzatonno,orgelatoanybody?

“Mnemonics“Mnemonics,isamethodtoleamnewvocabularybycreatingan

associationthatmakesiteasytoremember.Forexample,let'ssayyouwanttoremember

theFrenchword"chou,“whichmeans“cabbage“inEnglish."Chou"ispronouncedlike

“shoe"inEnglish,soyoucouldimagineputtingcabbagesonyourfeetinsteadofshoes.

Then,whenyouneedtoremember“cabbage,“yourbrainwillthink

“cabbage一shoes—>chou.、'

“Scriptorium”Scriptoriumisanexerciseinwriting.Studentswritethelanguagewhile

simultaneouslyspeakingitoutloud.Beforeyouwriteasentence,youshouldfirstreadit

outloud,secondsayeachwordaloudagainasyouwriteit,andthirdreadthesentence

aloudagainafteryouhavewrittenit.Thepurposeofthisexerciseistoforceyourselfto

slowdownandpayattentiontodetailandthenrevievzunknownwordsandrefreshyour

grammar.

“Shadowing“Shadowingisusedtolearnvocabulary.Youlistentonewwordsthrough

headphonesandtrytorepeat,to“shadow"themoutloudasquicklyasyoucan.Inventor

AlexanderArguelles,whospeaks50languages,suggeststhatyoudoitwhilewalking

swiftlytomaximizealertnessandbloodflow!

“Techandapps“Ifyouwanttoleanianewlanguage,butyoudon'thaveanybodywho

canhelp,checkoutwhat'savailableonline.Duolingo,fbrexample,teachesmany

languagesentirelyfbrfree.It'sfunandeffectiveastheymakeyoupracticereading,

writing,listeningandspeaking.Quizletisagreattooltostudyvocabulary.Itallowsyou

toexploreaudio-supportedflashcards.Soyoucanlearnnewwordsandgetthe

pronunciationright.

“Getastudybuddy“Ifyouarenotintotechnologyandwouldratherlearnwithothers,

dowhatpopularYouTubsrTimothyDoner,akaPolyglotPal,recommends.Connectwith

peoplefromaroundtheworldtoteachandlearnfromeachotherviaSkype.It'soneof

thethingsthatworkedfbrhim.Andhealreadyspeaks20languagesandhe'snoteven18.

Topic3Doesgrammarmatter?

(4"8"643words)25mins

Task1Warm-up

Key:

"Itoo"mightbegrammaticallycorrect,butpeoplejustsay“Metoo^insteadalthoughit

docsnotseemsogrammatical.

Task2Listeningforgist

Keys:

1.Fromtheviewpointoflinguistics,grammarisasetofpatternsforhowwordsareput

togethertoformphrasesorclauses,whetherspokenorinwriting.

2.Prescriptiviststhinkagivenlanguageshouldfollowconsistentrules.Theyconsider

deviationsfromthestandardfbnnasimproper.

3.Descriptivistsdepictalanguageasitis.Theyseevariationandadaptationasa

naturalandnecessarypartoflanguage.

4.Thespeakercombinesprescriptivismanddescriptivismandthinksthatgrammaris

bestthoughtofasasetoflinguistichabitsthatareconstantlybeingnegotiatedand

reinventedbytheentiregroupoflanguageusers.

Task3Listeningforspecificinformation

Keys:

LT2,F3.T4.F5.T6.T

Task4Listeningforlanguage

Key:

1.Somescholarshavetriedtoidentifypatternscommontoalllanguages,butapartfrom

somebasicfeatures,likehavingnounsorverbs,fewoftheseso-calledlinguistic

universalshavebeenfound.(C)

2.Inmanylanguages,thisstandardfbnncametobeconsideredtheonlyproperone,

despitebeingderivedfromjustoneofmanyspokenvarieties,usuallythatofthe

peopleinpower.(G)

3.Languagepuristsworkedtoestablishandpropagatethisstandardbydetailingasetof

rulesthatreflectedtheestablishedgrammaroftheirtimes.(A)

4.Speechpatternsthatdeviatedfromthewrittenruleswereconsideredcorruptions,or

signsoflowsocialstatus,andmanypeoplewhohadgrownupspeakingintheseways

wereforcedtoadoptthestandardizedform.(J)

5.Mostofuslearntospeakatsuchanearlyagethatwedon'tevenrememberit.We

formourspokenreDertoirethroughunconscioushabits,notmemorizedrules.(D)

6.Thiscouldmeanavoidingcomplexclausesthatarehardtoparseinrealtime,making

changestoavoidawkwardpronunciation,orremovingsoundstomakespeechfaster.

(F)

7.Thelinguisticapproachthattriestounderstandandmapsuchdifferenceswithout

dictatingcorrectonesisknownasdescriptivism.(I)

8.Butwhilethedebatebetweenprescriptivismanddescriptivismcontinues,thetwoarc

notmutuallyexclusive.(B)

9.Descriptivism,ontheotherhand,givesusinsightintohowourmindsworkandthe

instinctivewaysinwhichwestructureourviewoftheworld.(E)

10.Ultimately,grammarisbestthoughtofasasetoflinguistichabitsthatareconstantly

beingnegotiatedandreinventedbytheentiregroupoflanguageusers.(H)

Notesonlanguageandbackground:

1.haveapoint:tobereasonable

2.Languagepuristsrecognizeonevarietyofalanguageasbeingpurerorof

intrinsicallyhigherqualitythanothervarieties.

3.mutuallyexclusive:relatedinsuchawaythateachthingmakestheotherthing

impossiblenotabletobetrueatthesametimeortoexisttogether

Scripts*

You'retellingafriendanamazingstory,andyoujustgettothebestpartwhensuddenly

heinterrupts,4tThealienandI,"not"Meandthealien."Mostofuswouldprobablybe

annoyed,butasidefromtherudeinterruption,doesyourfriendhaveapoint?Wasyour

sentenceactuallygrammaticallyincorrect?Andifhestillunderstoodit,whydoesiteven

matter?

Fromthepointofviewoflinguistics,grammarisasetofpatternsfbrhowwordsareput

togethertoformphrasesorclauses,whetherspokenorinwriting.Differentlanguages

havedifferentpatterns.InEnglish,thesubjectnormallycomesfirst,followedbytheverb,

andthentheobject,whileinJapaneseandmanyotherlanguages,theorderissubject,

object,verb.Somescholarshavetriedtoidentifypatternscommontoalllanguages,but

apartfromsomebasicfeatures,likehavingnounsorverbs,fewoftheseso-called

linguisticuniversalshavebeenfound.Andwhileanylanguageneedsconsistentpatterns

tofunction,thestudyofthesepatternsopensupanongoingdebatebetweentwopositions

knownasprescriptivismanddcscriptivism.

Grosslysimplified,prescriptiviststhinkagivenlanguageshouldfollowconsistentrules,

whiledescriptivistsseevariationandadaptationasanaturalandnecessarypartof

language.Formuchofhistory,thevastmajorityoflanguagewasspoken.Butaspeople

becamemoreinterconnectedandwritinggainedimportance,writtenlanguagewas

standardizedtoallowbroadercommunicationandensurethatpeopleindifferentpartsof

arealmcouldunderstandeachother.Inmanylanguages,thisstandardformcametobe

consideredtheonlyproperone,despitebeingderivedfromjustoneofmanyspoken

varieties,usuallythatofthepeopleinpower.

Languagepuristsworkedtoestablishandpropagatethisstandardbydetailingasetof

rulesthatreflectedtheestablishedgrammaroftheirtimes.Andrulesfbrwrittengrammar

wereappliedtospokenlanguageaswell.Speechpatternsthatdeviatedfromthewritten

ruleswereconsideredcorruptions,orsignsoflowsocialstatus,andmanypeoplewho

hadgrownupspeakinginthesewayswereforcedtoadoptthestandardizedfbnn.More

recently,however,linguistshaveunderstoodthatspeechisaseparatephenomenonfrom

writing,withitsownregularitiesandpatterns.Mostofuslearntospeakatsuchanearly

agethatwedon'tevenrememberit.Weformourspokenrepertoirethroughunconscious

habits,notmemorizedrules.Andbecausespeechalsousesmoodandintonationfor

meaning,itsstructureisoftenmoreflexible,adaptingtotheneedsofspeakersand

listeners.Thiscouldmeanavoidingcomplexclausesthatarehardtoparseinrealtime,

makingchangestoavoidawkwardpronunciation,orremovingsoundstomakespeech

faster.Thelinguisticapproachthattriestounderstandandmapsuchdifferenceswithout

dictatingcorrectonesisknownasdescriptivism.Ratherthandecidinghowlanguage

shouldbeused,itdescribeshowpeopleactuallyuseit,andtrackstheinnovationsthey

comeupwithintheprocess.

Butwhilethedebatebetweenprescriptivismanddescriptivismcontinues,thetwoarcnot

mutuallyexclusive.Atitsbest,prescriptivismisusefulforinformingpeopleaboutthe

mostcommonestablishedpatternsatagivenpointintime.Thisisimportant,notonlyfor

fbnnalcontexts,butitalsomakescommunicationeasierbetweennon-nativespeakers

fromdifferentbackgrounds.Descriptivism,ontheotherhand,givesusinsightintohow

ourmindsworkandtheinstinctivewaysinwhichwestructureourviewoftheworlc.

Ultimately,grammarisbestthoughtofasasetoflinguistichabitsthatarcconstantly

beingnegotiatedandreinventedbytheentiregroupoflanguageusers.Likelanguage

itself,it'sawonderfulandcomplexfabricwoventhroughthecontributionsofspeakers

andlisteners,writersandreaders,prescriptivistsanddescriptivists,frombothnearandfar.

Topic4Thebenefitsofabilingualbrain

(4'42"769words)30mins

Task2Listeningforgist

Keys:

1.

Gabriellasubordinatebilinguals

Gabriella'sbrothercompoundbilinguals

Gabriella'sparentscoordinatebilinguals

2.A

3.ABC

Task3Listeningforspecificinformation

Keys:

1.Acompoundbilingualdevelopstwolinguisticcodessimultaneouslyataveryyoung

agewithinitssocialenvironment,withasinglesetofconcepts.Bothcoordinateand

subordinatebilingua.sacquiretwolanguagesoneafteranother,workingwithtwo

setsofconcepts.Butforcoordinatebilinguals,thetwolanguagesarcequallyusedor

important.Andfbrsubordinatebilinguals,onelanguage(usuallythemothcr/nativc

tongue)dominatesthedailylife.

2Thebrain'slefthemisphereismoredominantandanalyticalinlogicalprocesses,

whiletherighthemisphereismoreactiveinemotionalandsocialones.

3.Accordingtothecriticalperiodhypothesis,childrenlearnlanguagesmoreeasily

becausetheplasticityoftheirdevelopingbrainsletsthemusebothhemispheresin

languageacquisition.

4.Inmostadults,languageislateralizedtoonehemisphere,usuallytheleft,whichis

moredominantandanalyticalinlogicalprocesses,ratherthanemotionalandsocial

ones.

5.Beforethe1960s,bilingualismwasconsideredahandicapthatslowedachild's

developmentbyforcingthemtospendtoomuchenergydistinguishingbetween

languages.

6.Thisisthepartofthebrainthatplaysalargeroleinexecutivefunction,problem

solving,switchingbetweentasks,andfocusingwhilefilteringoutirrelevant

infbmiation.

Task4Listeningforlanguage

Keys:

1.Andbesideshavinganeasiertimetravelingorwatchingmovieswithoutsubtitles,

knowingtwoormorelanguagesmeansthatyourbrainmayactuallylookandwork

differentlythanthoseofyourmonolingualfriends.

2.Whileabalancedbilingualhasnearequalabilitiesacrosstheboardintwolanguages,

mostbilingualsaroundtheworldknowandusetheirlanguagesinvaryingproportions.

3.Asacompoundbilingual,Gabrielladevelopstwolinguisticcodessimultaneously,

withasinglesetofconcepts,learningbothEnglishandSpanishasshebeginsto

processtheworldaroundher.

4.Finally,Gabriella'sparentsarclikelytobesubordinatebilingualswholearna

secondarylanguagebyfilteringitthroughtheirprimarylanguage.

5.BecausealltypesofbilingualpeoplecanbecomefullyDroficientinalanguage

regardlessofaccentorpronunciation,thedifferencemaynotbeapparenttoacasual

observer.

6.It'swellknownthatthebrain'slefthemisphereismoredominantandanalyticalin

logicalprocesses,whiletherighthemisphereismoreactiveinemotionalandsocial

ones,thoughthisisamatterofdegree,notanabsolutesplit.

7.Ifthisistrue,learningalanguageinchildhoodmaygiveyouamoreholisticgraspof

itssocialandemotionalcontexts.

8.Butregardlessofwhenyouacquireadditionallanguages,beingmultilingualgives

yourbrainsomeremarkableadvantages.

9.Theheightenedworkoutabilingualbrainreceivesthroughoutitslifecanalsohelp

delaytheonsetofdiseases,likeAlzheimer'sanddementiabyasmuchasfiveyears.

10.Theideaofmajorcognitivebenefitstobilingualismmayseemintuitivenow,butit

wouldhavesurprisedearlierexperts.

Notesonlanguageandbackgrounds

1.acrosstheboard:affectingeveryoneoreverythinginasituationoranorganiza:ion

2.Brainimagingistheuseofvarioustechniquestoeitherdirectlyorindirectlyimage

thestructure,function/pharmacologyofthenervoussystem.Itisarelativelynew

disciplinewithinmedicine,neuroscience,andpsychology.

3.lateralization:localizationofafunction,suchasspeech,totherightorleftsideof

thebrain

4.plasticity:thecapacityfbrcontinuousalterationoftheneuralpathwaysandsynapses

ofthelivingbrainandnervoussysteminresponsetoexperienceorinjury

5.holistic:dealingwithortreatingthewholeofsomethingorsomeoneandnotjusta

part

6.graymatter:thegreyishtissueofthebrainandspinalcord,containingnervecell

bodies,dendrites,andbare(unmyelinated)axons

7.synapse:thejunctionacrosswhichanerveimpulsepassesfromanaxonterminalto

aneuron,amusclecell,oraglandcell.

8.workout:aperiodofphysicalexercise

9.Alzheimer's:aseriousdisease,especiallyaffectingolderpeople,thatpreventsthe

brainfromfunctioningnormallyandcauseslossofmemory,lossofabilitytospeak

clearly,etc.

10.dementia:deteriorationofintellectualfaculties,suchasmemory,concentration,and

judgment,resultingfromanorganicdiseaseoradisorderofthebrain.Itis

sometimesaccompaniedbyemotionaldisturbanceandpersonalitychanges.

11.intuitive:knownorperceivedthroughintuition

12.handicap:ahindrance

Scripts:

“4Hablasespahol?”“PaHez-vousfhmqais?”“你會說中文嗎？"Ifyouanswered,"si,"

“oui,"or"會"andyou'rewatchingthisinEnglish,chancesareyoubelongtotheworld's

bilingualandmultilingualmajority.Andbesideshavinganeasiertimetravelingor

watchingmovieswithoutsubtitles,knowingtwoormorelanguagesmeansthatyour

brainmayactuallylookandworkdifferentlythanthoseofyourmonolingualfriends.So

whatdoesitreallymeantoknowalanguage?

Languageabilityistypicallymeasuredintwoactiveparts,speakingandwriting,andtwo

passiveparts,listeningandreading.Whileabalancedbilingualhasnearequalabilities

acrosstheboardintwolanguages,mostbilingualsaroundtheworldknowandusetheir

languagesinvaryingproportions.Anddependingontheirsituationandhowthey

acquiredeachlanguage,theycanbeclassifiedintothreegeneraltypes.Forexample,let's

takeGabriella,whosefamilyimmigratestotheU.S.fromPeruwhenshe'stwoyearsold.

Asacompoundbilingual,Gabrielladevelopstwolinguisticcodessimultaneously,witha

singlesetofconcepts,learningbothEnglishandSpanishasshebeginstoprocessthe

worldaroundher.Herteenagebrother,ontheotherhand,mightbeacoordinatebilingual,

workingwithtwosetsofconcepts,learningEnglishinschool,whilecontinuingtospeak

Spanishathomeandwithfriends.Finally,Gabriella'sparentsarclikelytobesubordinate

bilingualswholearnasecondarylanguagebyfilteringitthroughtheirprimarylanguage.

Becausealltypesofbilingualpeoplecanbecomefullyproficientinalanguageregardless

ofaccentorpronunciation,thedifferencemaynotbeapparenttoacasualobserver.But

recentadvancesinbrainimagingtechnologyhavegivenneurolinguistsaglimpseinto

howspecificaspectsoflanguageleamingaffectthebilingualbrain.

It'swellknownthatthebrain'slefthemisphereismoredominantandanalyticalin

logicalprocesses,whiletherighthemisphereismoreactiveinemotionalandsocialones,

thoughthisisamatterofdegree,notanabsolutesplit.Thefactthatlanguageinvolves

bothtypesoffunctionswhilelateralizationdevelopsgraduallywithagehasledtothe

criticalperiodhypothesis.Accordingtothistheory,childrenlearnlanguagesmoreeasily

becausetheplasticityoftheirdevelopingbrainsletsthemusebothhemispheresin

languageacquisition,whileinmostadults,languageislateralizedtoonehemisphere,

usuallytheleft.Ifthisistrue,leamingalanguageinchildhoodmaygiveyouamore

holisticgraspofitssocialandemotionalcontexts.Conversely,recentresearchshowed

thatpeoplewholearnedasecondlanguageinadulthoodexhibitlessemotionalbiasanda

morerationalapproachwhenconfrontingproblemsinthesecondlanguagethanintheir

nativeone.

Butregardlessofwhenyouacquireadditionallanguages,beingmultilingualgivesyour

brainsomeremarkableadvantages.Someoftheseareevenvisible,suchashigherdensity

ofthegraymatterthatcontainsmostofyourbrain'sneuronsandsynapses,andmore

activityincertainregionswhenengagingasecondlanguage.Theheightenedworkouta

bilingualbrainreceivesthroughoutitslifecanalsohelpdelaytheonsetofdiseases,like

Alzheimer'sanddementiabyasmuchasfiveyears.

Theideaofmajorcognitivebenefitstobilingualismmayseemintuitivenow,butitwould

havesurprisedearlierexperts.Beforethe1960s,bilingualismwasconsideredahandicap

thatslowedachild'sdevelopmentbyforcingthemtospendtoomuchenergy

distinguishingbetweenlangu