| Does bilingualism have an effect on the functioning of the
brain? A variety of studies have examined the brains of bilinguals. A frequently asked question is whether a bilingual’s brain functions differently compared with a monolingual’s brain? How is language organized and processed in the brain of a bilingual compared with a monolingual? One study indicated that a language learned early, but not maintained, is dormant in the brain. However, other studies have not replicated this finding. Therefore, no conclusion is currently poosible. In most right-handed adults, the left
hemisphere of the brain is dominant for language processing. Recent
reviews tend to suggest that monolinguals and bilinguals are little
different from each other in use of right and left hemisphere of the
brain. The left hemisphere tends to dominate strongly language processing
for both monolinguals and bilinguals. There is currently no strong
evidence that bilingualism has negative effects on the everyday
functioning of the brain. In terms of efficient and effective use of the
brain, storage in the brain and processing in the brain, bilinguals do not
seem particularly different from monolinguals. |