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Language and Your Brain

FOR DECADES, RESEARCH into the brain basis of language was limited to the study of the effects of neurological disease and brain lesions on human language processing and production. Nowadays, however, new techniques are o create a picture of normal brain at work processing language -- helping to shed light on the of language and the brain. LANGUAGE and your BRAIN researchers to 'a mysteries Where Does Language Live? The centers of the brain that deal with language comprehension and speech production are lateralized to the left hemisphere of the brain. Within the left hemisphere, there are LEFT RIGHT centers that determine how we interpret and use language. Broca's area: fig I Wernicke's area: fig 3 Associated with motor planning and speech production, Broca's area is believed to be responsible for lexical and phonological processing. Patients who suffer damage to this part of the brain – a disorder known as Broca's aphasia - have difficulty speaking but can still understand language. Considered the area of the brain critical for language comprehension, Wernicke's area is responsible for processing speech sounds. Patients with lesions to this part of the brain suffer speech comprehension problems and, although capable of producing sounds and word sequences at a normal rhythm, are unable to produce meaningful speech. fig ? fig 4 Motor Cortex: Auditory Cortex: The vocalization region of the motor cortex controls the mouth and lips, involved in the physical production of speech. Receives signals from the auditory nerves in the inner ear, and transmits temporal and spatial frames of reference for the data it receives. a pha-sia [uh-fey-zhuh] -noun the loss of a previously held ability to speak or understand spoken or written language, due to disease or injury of the brain. Example of a Broca's aphasic speech: Cinderella.poor..um 'dopted her..scrubbed floor, um, tidy...poor, um..'dopted...Si-sisters and mother...ball. Ball, prince um, shoe.. Example of a Wernicke's aphasic speech: Uh, well this is the ... the /dodu/ of this. This and this and this and this. These things going in there like that. This is /sen/ things here. This one here, these two things here. And the other one here, back in this one, this one /gesh/ look at this one. COMMON BRAIN IMAGING TECHNIQUES fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) Technique: An fMRI machine uses a magnetic field and radio frequency pulses to look at blood flow in the brain and detect brain activity. These changes in blood flow, which are captured on a computer, help researchers understand more about the role of specific structures in the brain. Advantages: Good spatial resolution; non-invasive Disadvantages: Poor temporal resolution; expensive; cannot be used for patients with mctallic devices (c.g. pacemakers) EEG (electroencephalography) Technique: One of the first ways of non-invasively observing brain activity, EEG uses electrodes attached to the scalp to record the electrical activity of neurons in the brain. This method can be used with subjects who are awake, asleep or anesthetized. Advantages: Excellent temporal resolution; relatively inexpensive; non-invasive Disadvantages: Poor spatial resolution MEG (magnetoencephalography) Technique: Using magnetic coils placed over a subject's head and hyper-sensitive magnetometers called SQUIDS, MEG measures faint magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain. Advantages: Best temporal resolution; good spatial resolution; non-invasive; complementary to other techniques Disadvantages: Expensive; neuromagnetic signals are weak and difficult to measure; does not provide structural information PET (positron emission tomography) Technique: One of the most popular scanning techniques in neuro- science research, PET allows scientists to observe blood flow and metabolism in the brain. First, the subject is injected with a small dose of radioactive glucose. From outside the scalp, the PET scan- ner tracks the metabolism of the radioactive substance. Advantages: Measures metabolism and provides an image of brain activity Disadvantages: Expensive; not widely available; radioactive mate- rial used HOW WE LEARN LANGUAGE The never-ending nature vs. nurture debate BIOLOGICAL/NATURE In the 1950s, Noam Chomsky posited that we are born with a language acquisition device (LAD) that gives us the "innate" ability to acquire language. This hypothesis attempted to account for the complexity of language systems, which allow us to make "infinite use of finite means." Related to this is Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar, which suggests that there are grammatical properties common to all human languages. Although humans cannot be hard-wired to learn a particular language, our brains are, indeed, hard-wired with some of the same rules of grammar. Through both biological and environmental factors, most humans learn a language to a level of native competency by the age of 5. ENVIRONMENTAL/NURTURE Researchers such as Skinner argue that environment -- or nurture -- is a more powerful influence when it comes to lan- guage acquisition. Children who are deprived of language in their environ- ment do not spontaneously learn to speak. We are all born as a "blank slate" -- or "tabula rasa" -- and learn by imitating and repeating the sounds that we hear from our caregivers. LANGUAGE AND THE AGING BRAIN Although researchers are in perpetual disagreement over the relationship between age and language learning capacity, many studies suggest that there is a "critical period" after which language learning becomes significantly more difficult. The younger a person is exposed to a foreign language, the greater the chances are that the person will achieve proficiency in that L2. One study, "Critical Period Effects In Second Language Learning" (1989) by Jacqueline Johnson and Elissa Newport, which compared English grammar test scores for immigrants based on the age at which they arrived in the United States, shows that earlier exposure to a language results in greater proficiency. 100 98% *Native Speakers: 97% 93% 85% 80 76% 60 Age 3-7 Age 8-10 Age 11-15 Age 17-39 (Age of Arrival compared to Mean Test Scores In addition to accelerating the rate at which we achieve proficiency, studying a language earlier in life can have the following benefits: Increased cognitive skills Early experience with two languages gives children mental flexibility, superiority in concept formation, and diverse mental abilities. Higher achievement in other academic areas Third-grade students who receive 30 minutes of language lessons each week typically score higher on academic achievement tests than those without language lessons. Higher standardized test scores A+ Students who studied a forcign language in high school scored higher on the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Sources: Scientific American, Encyclopedia Britannica, Center for Applied Linguistics, Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute, National Science Foundation, Speech Pathology.com, University of Illinois, DistrictAdministration.com, Dictionary.com, University of Pennsylvania, PBS.org DidYouKnow? VOXY voxy.com/blog learn a language from life FOR DECADES, RESEARCH into the brain basis of language was limited to the study of the effects of neurological disease and brain lesions on human language processing and production. Nowadays, however, new techniques are o create a picture of normal brain at work processing language -- helping to shed light on the of language and the brain. LANGUAGE and your BRAIN researchers to 'a mysteries Where Does Language Live? The centers of the brain that deal with language comprehension and speech production are lateralized to the left hemisphere of the brain. Within the left hemisphere, there are LEFT RIGHT centers that determine how we interpret and use language. Broca's area: fig I Wernicke's area: fig 3 Associated with motor planning and speech production, Broca's area is believed to be responsible for lexical and phonological processing. Patients who suffer damage to this part of the brain – a disorder known as Broca's aphasia - have difficulty speaking but can still understand language. Considered the area of the brain critical for language comprehension, Wernicke's area is responsible for processing speech sounds. Patients with lesions to this part of the brain suffer speech comprehension problems and, although capable of producing sounds and word sequences at a normal rhythm, are unable to produce meaningful speech. fig ? fig 4 Motor Cortex: Auditory Cortex: The vocalization region of the motor cortex controls the mouth and lips, involved in the physical production of speech. Receives signals from the auditory nerves in the inner ear, and transmits temporal and spatial frames of reference for the data it receives. a pha-sia [uh-fey-zhuh] -noun the loss of a previously held ability to speak or understand spoken or written language, due to disease or injury of the brain. Example of a Broca's aphasic speech: Cinderella.poor..um 'dopted her..scrubbed floor, um, tidy...poor, um..'dopted...Si-sisters and mother...ball. Ball, prince um, shoe.. Example of a Wernicke's aphasic speech: Uh, well this is the ... the /dodu/ of this. This and this and this and this. These things going in there like that. This is /sen/ things here. This one here, these two things here. And the other one here, back in this one, this one /gesh/ look at this one. COMMON BRAIN IMAGING TECHNIQUES fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) Technique: An fMRI machine uses a magnetic field and radio frequency pulses to look at blood flow in the brain and detect brain activity. These changes in blood flow, which are captured on a computer, help researchers understand more about the role of specific structures in the brain. Advantages: Good spatial resolution; non-invasive Disadvantages: Poor temporal resolution; expensive; cannot be used for patients with mctallic devices (c.g. pacemakers) EEG (electroencephalography) Technique: One of the first ways of non-invasively observing brain activity, EEG uses electrodes attached to the scalp to record the electrical activity of neurons in the brain. This method can be used with subjects who are awake, asleep or anesthetized. Advantages: Excellent temporal resolution; relatively inexpensive; non-invasive Disadvantages: Poor spatial resolution MEG (magnetoencephalography) Technique: Using magnetic coils placed over a subject's head and hyper-sensitive magnetometers called SQUIDS, MEG measures faint magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain. Advantages: Best temporal resolution; good spatial resolution; non-invasive; complementary to other techniques Disadvantages: Expensive; neuromagnetic signals are weak and difficult to measure; does not provide structural information PET (positron emission tomography) Technique: One of the most popular scanning techniques in neuro- science research, PET allows scientists to observe blood flow and metabolism in the brain. First, the subject is injected with a small dose of radioactive glucose. From outside the scalp, the PET scan- ner tracks the metabolism of the radioactive substance. Advantages: Measures metabolism and provides an image of brain activity Disadvantages: Expensive; not widely available; radioactive mate- rial used HOW WE LEARN LANGUAGE The never-ending nature vs. nurture debate BIOLOGICAL/NATURE In the 1950s, Noam Chomsky posited that we are born with a language acquisition device (LAD) that gives us the "innate" ability to acquire language. This hypothesis attempted to account for the complexity of language systems, which allow us to make "infinite use of finite means." Related to this is Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar, which suggests that there are grammatical properties common to all human languages. Although humans cannot be hard-wired to learn a particular language, our brains are, indeed, hard-wired with some of the same rules of grammar. Through both biological and environmental factors, most humans learn a language to a level of native competency by the age of 5. ENVIRONMENTAL/NURTURE Researchers such as Skinner argue that environment -- or nurture -- is a more powerful influence when it comes to lan- guage acquisition. Children who are deprived of language in their environ- ment do not spontaneously learn to speak. We are all born as a "blank slate" -- or "tabula rasa" -- and learn by imitating and repeating the sounds that we hear from our caregivers. LANGUAGE AND THE AGING BRAIN Although researchers are in perpetual disagreement over the relationship between age and language learning capacity, many studies suggest that there is a "critical period" after which language learning becomes significantly more difficult. The younger a person is exposed to a foreign language, the greater the chances are that the person will achieve proficiency in that L2. One study, "Critical Period Effects In Second Language Learning" (1989) by Jacqueline Johnson and Elissa Newport, which compared English grammar test scores for immigrants based on the age at which they arrived in the United States, shows that earlier exposure to a language results in greater proficiency. 100 98% *Native Speakers: 97% 93% 85% 80 76% 60 Age 3-7 Age 8-10 Age 11-15 Age 17-39 (Age of Arrival compared to Mean Test Scores In addition to accelerating the rate at which we achieve proficiency, studying a language earlier in life can have the following benefits: Increased cognitive skills Early experience with two languages gives children mental flexibility, superiority in concept formation, and diverse mental abilities. Higher achievement in other academic areas Third-grade students who receive 30 minutes of language lessons each week typically score higher on academic achievement tests than those without language lessons. Higher standardized test scores A+ Students who studied a forcign language in high school scored higher on the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Sources: Scientific American, Encyclopedia Britannica, Center for Applied Linguistics, Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute, National Science Foundation, Speech Pathology.com, University of Illinois, DistrictAdministration.com, Dictionary.com, University of Pennsylvania, PBS.org DidYouKnow? VOXY voxy.com/blog learn a language from life FOR DECADES, RESEARCH into the brain basis of language was limited to the study of the effects of neurological disease and brain lesions on human language processing and production. Nowadays, however, new techniques are o create a picture of normal brain at work processing language -- helping to shed light on the of language and the brain. LANGUAGE and your BRAIN researchers to 'a mysteries Where Does Language Live? The centers of the brain that deal with language comprehension and speech production are lateralized to the left hemisphere of the brain. Within the left hemisphere, there are LEFT RIGHT centers that determine how we interpret and use language. Broca's area: fig I Wernicke's area: fig 3 Associated with motor planning and speech production, Broca's area is believed to be responsible for lexical and phonological processing. Patients who suffer damage to this part of the brain – a disorder known as Broca's aphasia - have difficulty speaking but can still understand language. Considered the area of the brain critical for language comprehension, Wernicke's area is responsible for processing speech sounds. Patients with lesions to this part of the brain suffer speech comprehension problems and, although capable of producing sounds and word sequences at a normal rhythm, are unable to produce meaningful speech. fig ? fig 4 Motor Cortex: Auditory Cortex: The vocalization region of the motor cortex controls the mouth and lips, involved in the physical production of speech. Receives signals from the auditory nerves in the inner ear, and transmits temporal and spatial frames of reference for the data it receives. a pha-sia [uh-fey-zhuh] -noun the loss of a previously held ability to speak or understand spoken or written language, due to disease or injury of the brain. Example of a Broca's aphasic speech: Cinderella.poor..um 'dopted her..scrubbed floor, um, tidy...poor, um..'dopted...Si-sisters and mother...ball. Ball, prince um, shoe.. Example of a Wernicke's aphasic speech: Uh, well this is the ... the /dodu/ of this. This and this and this and this. These things going in there like that. This is /sen/ things here. This one here, these two things here. And the other one here, back in this one, this one /gesh/ look at this one. COMMON BRAIN IMAGING TECHNIQUES fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) Technique: An fMRI machine uses a magnetic field and radio frequency pulses to look at blood flow in the brain and detect brain activity. These changes in blood flow, which are captured on a computer, help researchers understand more about the role of specific structures in the brain. Advantages: Good spatial resolution; non-invasive Disadvantages: Poor temporal resolution; expensive; cannot be used for patients with mctallic devices (c.g. pacemakers) EEG (electroencephalography) Technique: One of the first ways of non-invasively observing brain activity, EEG uses electrodes attached to the scalp to record the electrical activity of neurons in the brain. This method can be used with subjects who are awake, asleep or anesthetized. Advantages: Excellent temporal resolution; relatively inexpensive; non-invasive Disadvantages: Poor spatial resolution MEG (magnetoencephalography) Technique: Using magnetic coils placed over a subject's head and hyper-sensitive magnetometers called SQUIDS, MEG measures faint magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain. Advantages: Best temporal resolution; good spatial resolution; non-invasive; complementary to other techniques Disadvantages: Expensive; neuromagnetic signals are weak and difficult to measure; does not provide structural information PET (positron emission tomography) Technique: One of the most popular scanning techniques in neuro- science research, PET allows scientists to observe blood flow and metabolism in the brain. First, the subject is injected with a small dose of radioactive glucose. From outside the scalp, the PET scan- ner tracks the metabolism of the radioactive substance. Advantages: Measures metabolism and provides an image of brain activity Disadvantages: Expensive; not widely available; radioactive mate- rial used HOW WE LEARN LANGUAGE The never-ending nature vs. nurture debate BIOLOGICAL/NATURE In the 1950s, Noam Chomsky posited that we are born with a language acquisition device (LAD) that gives us the "innate" ability to acquire language. This hypothesis attempted to account for the complexity of language systems, which allow us to make "infinite use of finite means." Related to this is Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar, which suggests that there are grammatical properties common to all human languages. Although humans cannot be hard-wired to learn a particular language, our brains are, indeed, hard-wired with some of the same rules of grammar. Through both biological and environmental factors, most humans learn a language to a level of native competency by the age of 5. ENVIRONMENTAL/NURTURE Researchers such as Skinner argue that environment -- or nurture -- is a more powerful influence when it comes to lan- guage acquisition. Children who are deprived of language in their environ- ment do not spontaneously learn to speak. We are all born as a "blank slate" -- or "tabula rasa" -- and learn by imitating and repeating the sounds that we hear from our caregivers. LANGUAGE AND THE AGING BRAIN Although researchers are in perpetual disagreement over the relationship between age and language learning capacity, many studies suggest that there is a "critical period" after which language learning becomes significantly more difficult. The younger a person is exposed to a foreign language, the greater the chances are that the person will achieve proficiency in that L2. One study, "Critical Period Effects In Second Language Learning" (1989) by Jacqueline Johnson and Elissa Newport, which compared English grammar test scores for immigrants based on the age at which they arrived in the United States, shows that earlier exposure to a language results in greater proficiency. 100 98% *Native Speakers: 97% 93% 85% 80 76% 60 Age 3-7 Age 8-10 Age 11-15 Age 17-39 (Age of Arrival compared to Mean Test Scores In addition to accelerating the rate at which we achieve proficiency, studying a language earlier in life can have the following benefits: Increased cognitive skills Early experience with two languages gives children mental flexibility, superiority in concept formation, and diverse mental abilities. Higher achievement in other academic areas Third-grade students who receive 30 minutes of language lessons each week typically score higher on academic achievement tests than those without language lessons. Higher standardized test scores A+ Students who studied a forcign language in high school scored higher on the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Sources: Scientific American, Encyclopedia Britannica, Center for Applied Linguistics, Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute, National Science Foundation, Speech Pathology.com, University of Illinois, DistrictAdministration.com, Dictionary.com, University of Pennsylvania, PBS.org DidYouKnow? VOXY voxy.com/blog learn a language from life FOR DECADES, RESEARCH into the brain basis of language was limited to the study of the effects of neurological disease and brain lesions on human language processing and production. Nowadays, however, new techniques are o create a picture of normal brain at work processing language -- helping to shed light on the of language and the brain. LANGUAGE and your BRAIN researchers to 'a mysteries Where Does Language Live? The centers of the brain that deal with language comprehension and speech production are lateralized to the left hemisphere of the brain. Within the left hemisphere, there are LEFT RIGHT centers that determine how we interpret and use language. Broca's area: fig I Wernicke's area: fig 3 Associated with motor planning and speech production, Broca's area is believed to be responsible for lexical and phonological processing. Patients who suffer damage to this part of the brain – a disorder known as Broca's aphasia - have difficulty speaking but can still understand language. Considered the area of the brain critical for language comprehension, Wernicke's area is responsible for processing speech sounds. Patients with lesions to this part of the brain suffer speech comprehension problems and, although capable of producing sounds and word sequences at a normal rhythm, are unable to produce meaningful speech. fig ? fig 4 Motor Cortex: Auditory Cortex: The vocalization region of the motor cortex controls the mouth and lips, involved in the physical production of speech. Receives signals from the auditory nerves in the inner ear, and transmits temporal and spatial frames of reference for the data it receives. a pha-sia [uh-fey-zhuh] -noun the loss of a previously held ability to speak or understand spoken or written language, due to disease or injury of the brain. Example of a Broca's aphasic speech: Cinderella.poor..um 'dopted her..scrubbed floor, um, tidy...poor, um..'dopted...Si-sisters and mother...ball. Ball, prince um, shoe.. Example of a Wernicke's aphasic speech: Uh, well this is the ... the /dodu/ of this. This and this and this and this. These things going in there like that. This is /sen/ things here. This one here, these two things here. And the other one here, back in this one, this one /gesh/ look at this one. COMMON BRAIN IMAGING TECHNIQUES fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) Technique: An fMRI machine uses a magnetic field and radio frequency pulses to look at blood flow in the brain and detect brain activity. These changes in blood flow, which are captured on a computer, help researchers understand more about the role of specific structures in the brain. Advantages: Good spatial resolution; non-invasive Disadvantages: Poor temporal resolution; expensive; cannot be used for patients with mctallic devices (c.g. pacemakers) EEG (electroencephalography) Technique: One of the first ways of non-invasively observing brain activity, EEG uses electrodes attached to the scalp to record the electrical activity of neurons in the brain. This method can be used with subjects who are awake, asleep or anesthetized. Advantages: Excellent temporal resolution; relatively inexpensive; non-invasive Disadvantages: Poor spatial resolution MEG (magnetoencephalography) Technique: Using magnetic coils placed over a subject's head and hyper-sensitive magnetometers called SQUIDS, MEG measures faint magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain. Advantages: Best temporal resolution; good spatial resolution; non-invasive; complementary to other techniques Disadvantages: Expensive; neuromagnetic signals are weak and difficult to measure; does not provide structural information PET (positron emission tomography) Technique: One of the most popular scanning techniques in neuro- science research, PET allows scientists to observe blood flow and metabolism in the brain. First, the subject is injected with a small dose of radioactive glucose. From outside the scalp, the PET scan- ner tracks the metabolism of the radioactive substance. Advantages: Measures metabolism and provides an image of brain activity Disadvantages: Expensive; not widely available; radioactive mate- rial used HOW WE LEARN LANGUAGE The never-ending nature vs. nurture debate BIOLOGICAL/NATURE In the 1950s, Noam Chomsky posited that we are born with a language acquisition device (LAD) that gives us the "innate" ability to acquire language. This hypothesis attempted to account for the complexity of language systems, which allow us to make "infinite use of finite means." Related to this is Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar, which suggests that there are grammatical properties common to all human languages. Although humans cannot be hard-wired to learn a particular language, our brains are, indeed, hard-wired with some of the same rules of grammar. Through both biological and environmental factors, most humans learn a language to a level of native competency by the age of 5. ENVIRONMENTAL/NURTURE Researchers such as Skinner argue that environment -- or nurture -- is a more powerful influence when it comes to lan- guage acquisition. Children who are deprived of language in their environ- ment do not spontaneously learn to speak. We are all born as a "blank slate" -- or "tabula rasa" -- and learn by imitating and repeating the sounds that we hear from our caregivers. LANGUAGE AND THE AGING BRAIN Although researchers are in perpetual disagreement over the relationship between age and language learning capacity, many studies suggest that there is a "critical period" after which language learning becomes significantly more difficult. The younger a person is exposed to a foreign language, the greater the chances are that the person will achieve proficiency in that L2. One study, "Critical Period Effects In Second Language Learning" (1989) by Jacqueline Johnson and Elissa Newport, which compared English grammar test scores for immigrants based on the age at which they arrived in the United States, shows that earlier exposure to a language results in greater proficiency. 100 98% *Native Speakers: 97% 93% 85% 80 76% 60 Age 3-7 Age 8-10 Age 11-15 Age 17-39 (Age of Arrival compared to Mean Test Scores In addition to accelerating the rate at which we achieve proficiency, studying a language earlier in life can have the following benefits: Increased cognitive skills Early experience with two languages gives children mental flexibility, superiority in concept formation, and diverse mental abilities. Higher achievement in other academic areas Third-grade students who receive 30 minutes of language lessons each week typically score higher on academic achievement tests than those without language lessons. Higher standardized test scores A+ Students who studied a forcign language in high school scored higher on the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Sources: Scientific American, Encyclopedia Britannica, Center for Applied Linguistics, Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute, National Science Foundation, Speech Pathology.com, University of Illinois, DistrictAdministration.com, Dictionary.com, University of Pennsylvania, PBS.org DidYouKnow? VOXY voxy.com/blog learn a language from life FOR DECADES, RESEARCH into the brain basis of language was limited to the study of the effects of neurological disease and brain lesions on human language processing and production. Nowadays, however, new techniques are o create a picture of normal brain at work processing language -- helping to shed light on the of language and the brain. LANGUAGE and your BRAIN researchers to 'a mysteries Where Does Language Live? The centers of the brain that deal with language comprehension and speech production are lateralized to the left hemisphere of the brain. Within the left hemisphere, there are LEFT RIGHT centers that determine how we interpret and use language. Broca's area: fig I Wernicke's area: fig 3 Associated with motor planning and speech production, Broca's area is believed to be responsible for lexical and phonological processing. Patients who suffer damage to this part of the brain – a disorder known as Broca's aphasia - have difficulty speaking but can still understand language. Considered the area of the brain critical for language comprehension, Wernicke's area is responsible for processing speech sounds. Patients with lesions to this part of the brain suffer speech comprehension problems and, although capable of producing sounds and word sequences at a normal rhythm, are unable to produce meaningful speech. fig ? fig 4 Motor Cortex: Auditory Cortex: The vocalization region of the motor cortex controls the mouth and lips, involved in the physical production of speech. Receives signals from the auditory nerves in the inner ear, and transmits temporal and spatial frames of reference for the data it receives. a pha-sia [uh-fey-zhuh] -noun the loss of a previously held ability to speak or understand spoken or written language, due to disease or injury of the brain. Example of a Broca's aphasic speech: Cinderella.poor..um 'dopted her..scrubbed floor, um, tidy...poor, um..'dopted...Si-sisters and mother...ball. Ball, prince um, shoe.. Example of a Wernicke's aphasic speech: Uh, well this is the ... the /dodu/ of this. This and this and this and this. These things going in there like that. This is /sen/ things here. This one here, these two things here. And the other one here, back in this one, this one /gesh/ look at this one. COMMON BRAIN IMAGING TECHNIQUES fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) Technique: An fMRI machine uses a magnetic field and radio frequency pulses to look at blood flow in the brain and detect brain activity. These changes in blood flow, which are captured on a computer, help researchers understand more about the role of specific structures in the brain. Advantages: Good spatial resolution; non-invasive Disadvantages: Poor temporal resolution; expensive; cannot be used for patients with mctallic devices (c.g. pacemakers) EEG (electroencephalography) Technique: One of the first ways of non-invasively observing brain activity, EEG uses electrodes attached to the scalp to record the electrical activity of neurons in the brain. This method can be used with subjects who are awake, asleep or anesthetized. Advantages: Excellent temporal resolution; relatively inexpensive; non-invasive Disadvantages: Poor spatial resolution MEG (magnetoencephalography) Technique: Using magnetic coils placed over a subject's head and hyper-sensitive magnetometers called SQUIDS, MEG measures faint magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain. Advantages: Best temporal resolution; good spatial resolution; non-invasive; complementary to other techniques Disadvantages: Expensive; neuromagnetic signals are weak and difficult to measure; does not provide structural information PET (positron emission tomography) Technique: One of the most popular scanning techniques in neuro- science research, PET allows scientists to observe blood flow and metabolism in the brain. First, the subject is injected with a small dose of radioactive glucose. From outside the scalp, the PET scan- ner tracks the metabolism of the radioactive substance. Advantages: Measures metabolism and provides an image of brain activity Disadvantages: Expensive; not widely available; radioactive mate- rial used HOW WE LEARN LANGUAGE The never-ending nature vs. nurture debate BIOLOGICAL/NATURE In the 1950s, Noam Chomsky posited that we are born with a language acquisition device (LAD) that gives us the "innate" ability to acquire language. This hypothesis attempted to account for the complexity of language systems, which allow us to make "infinite use of finite means." Related to this is Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar, which suggests that there are grammatical properties common to all human languages. Although humans cannot be hard-wired to learn a particular language, our brains are, indeed, hard-wired with some of the same rules of grammar. Through both biological and environmental factors, most humans learn a language to a level of native competency by the age of 5. ENVIRONMENTAL/NURTURE Researchers such as Skinner argue that environment -- or nurture -- is a more powerful influence when it comes to lan- guage acquisition. Children who are deprived of language in their environ- ment do not spontaneously learn to speak. We are all born as a "blank slate" -- or "tabula rasa" -- and learn by imitating and repeating the sounds that we hear from our caregivers. LANGUAGE AND THE AGING BRAIN Although researchers are in perpetual disagreement over the relationship between age and language learning capacity, many studies suggest that there is a "critical period" after which language learning becomes significantly more difficult. The younger a person is exposed to a foreign language, the greater the chances are that the person will achieve proficiency in that L2. One study, "Critical Period Effects In Second Language Learning" (1989) by Jacqueline Johnson and Elissa Newport, which compared English grammar test scores for immigrants based on the age at which they arrived in the United States, shows that earlier exposure to a language results in greater proficiency. 100 98% *Native Speakers: 97% 93% 85% 80 76% 60 Age 3-7 Age 8-10 Age 11-15 Age 17-39 (Age of Arrival compared to Mean Test Scores In addition to accelerating the rate at which we achieve proficiency, studying a language earlier in life can have the following benefits: Increased cognitive skills Early experience with two languages gives children mental flexibility, superiority in concept formation, and diverse mental abilities. Higher achievement in other academic areas Third-grade students who receive 30 minutes of language lessons each week typically score higher on academic achievement tests than those without language lessons. Higher standardized test scores A+ Students who studied a forcign language in high school scored higher on the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Sources: Scientific American, Encyclopedia Britannica, Center for Applied Linguistics, Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute, National Science Foundation, Speech Pathology.com, University of Illinois, DistrictAdministration.com, Dictionary.com, University of Pennsylvania, PBS.org DidYouKnow? VOXY voxy.com/blog learn a language from life FOR DECADES, RESEARCH into the brain basis of language was limited to the study of the effects of neurological disease and brain lesions on human language processing and production. Nowadays, however, new techniques are o create a picture of normal brain at work processing language -- helping to shed light on the of language and the brain. LANGUAGE and your BRAIN researchers to 'a mysteries Where Does Language Live? The centers of the brain that deal with language comprehension and speech production are lateralized to the left hemisphere of the brain. Within the left hemisphere, there are LEFT RIGHT centers that determine how we interpret and use language. Broca's area: fig I Wernicke's area: fig 3 Associated with motor planning and speech production, Broca's area is believed to be responsible for lexical and phonological processing. Patients who suffer damage to this part of the brain – a disorder known as Broca's aphasia - have difficulty speaking but can still understand language. Considered the area of the brain critical for language comprehension, Wernicke's area is responsible for processing speech sounds. Patients with lesions to this part of the brain suffer speech comprehension problems and, although capable of producing sounds and word sequences at a normal rhythm, are unable to produce meaningful speech. fig ? fig 4 Motor Cortex: Auditory Cortex: The vocalization region of the motor cortex controls the mouth and lips, involved in the physical production of speech. Receives signals from the auditory nerves in the inner ear, and transmits temporal and spatial frames of reference for the data it receives. a pha-sia [uh-fey-zhuh] -noun the loss of a previously held ability to speak or understand spoken or written language, due to disease or injury of the brain. Example of a Broca's aphasic speech: Cinderella.poor..um 'dopted her..scrubbed floor, um, tidy...poor, um..'dopted...Si-sisters and mother...ball. Ball, prince um, shoe.. Example of a Wernicke's aphasic speech: Uh, well this is the ... the /dodu/ of this. This and this and this and this. These things going in there like that. This is /sen/ things here. This one here, these two things here. And the other one here, back in this one, this one /gesh/ look at this one. COMMON BRAIN IMAGING TECHNIQUES fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) Technique: An fMRI machine uses a magnetic field and radio frequency pulses to look at blood flow in the brain and detect brain activity. These changes in blood flow, which are captured on a computer, help researchers understand more about the role of specific structures in the brain. Advantages: Good spatial resolution; non-invasive Disadvantages: Poor temporal resolution; expensive; cannot be used for patients with mctallic devices (c.g. pacemakers) EEG (electroencephalography) Technique: One of the first ways of non-invasively observing brain activity, EEG uses electrodes attached to the scalp to record the electrical activity of neurons in the brain. This method can be used with subjects who are awake, asleep or anesthetized. Advantages: Excellent temporal resolution; relatively inexpensive; non-invasive Disadvantages: Poor spatial resolution MEG (magnetoencephalography) Technique: Using magnetic coils placed over a subject's head and hyper-sensitive magnetometers called SQUIDS, MEG measures faint magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain. Advantages: Best temporal resolution; good spatial resolution; non-invasive; complementary to other techniques Disadvantages: Expensive; neuromagnetic signals are weak and difficult to measure; does not provide structural information PET (positron emission tomography) Technique: One of the most popular scanning techniques in neuro- science research, PET allows scientists to observe blood flow and metabolism in the brain. First, the subject is injected with a small dose of radioactive glucose. From outside the scalp, the PET scan- ner tracks the metabolism of the radioactive substance. Advantages: Measures metabolism and provides an image of brain activity Disadvantages: Expensive; not widely available; radioactive mate- rial used HOW WE LEARN LANGUAGE The never-ending nature vs. nurture debate BIOLOGICAL/NATURE In the 1950s, Noam Chomsky posited that we are born with a language acquisition device (LAD) that gives us the "innate" ability to acquire language. This hypothesis attempted to account for the complexity of language systems, which allow us to make "infinite use of finite means." Related to this is Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar, which suggests that there are grammatical properties common to all human languages. Although humans cannot be hard-wired to learn a particular language, our brains are, indeed, hard-wired with some of the same rules of grammar. Through both biological and environmental factors, most humans learn a language to a level of native competency by the age of 5. ENVIRONMENTAL/NURTURE Researchers such as Skinner argue that environment -- or nurture -- is a more powerful influence when it comes to lan- guage acquisition. Children who are deprived of language in their environ- ment do not spontaneously learn to speak. We are all born as a "blank slate" -- or "tabula rasa" -- and learn by imitating and repeating the sounds that we hear from our caregivers. LANGUAGE AND THE AGING BRAIN Although researchers are in perpetual disagreement over the relationship between age and language learning capacity, many studies suggest that there is a "critical period" after which language learning becomes significantly more difficult. The younger a person is exposed to a foreign language, the greater the chances are that the person will achieve proficiency in that L2. One study, "Critical Period Effects In Second Language Learning" (1989) by Jacqueline Johnson and Elissa Newport, which compared English grammar test scores for immigrants based on the age at which they arrived in the United States, shows that earlier exposure to a language results in greater proficiency. 100 98% *Native Speakers: 97% 93% 85% 80 76% 60 Age 3-7 Age 8-10 Age 11-15 Age 17-39 (Age of Arrival compared to Mean Test Scores In addition to accelerating the rate at which we achieve proficiency, studying a language earlier in life can have the following benefits: Increased cognitive skills Early experience with two languages gives children mental flexibility, superiority in concept formation, and diverse mental abilities. Higher achievement in other academic areas Third-grade students who receive 30 minutes of language lessons each week typically score higher on academic achievement tests than those without language lessons. Higher standardized test scores A+ Students who studied a forcign language in high school scored higher on the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Sources: Scientific American, Encyclopedia Britannica, Center for Applied Linguistics, Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute, National Science Foundation, Speech Pathology.com, University of Illinois, DistrictAdministration.com, Dictionary.com, University of Pennsylvania, PBS.org DidYouKnow? VOXY voxy.com/blog learn a language from life

Language and Your Brain

shared by maggie on May 13
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Learning a new language is not only fun but beneficial for communicating with other people around the world. But why is that some people can pick up multiple languages quickly and speak them fluently ...

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