This is a sidebar from an article in the Wall Street Journal, the only national newspaper worth reading these days. The original article is worth reading. 12 October 2010. It looks like the anatomic appearance of the brain is similar in both mono- and bi-lingual people, but the latter are better able to deal with this handicap as seen in the large chart above. Another minor point to be noted is that it takes an extra year to recognize that you are having a problem if you are mono-lingual; that, or you are just more stubborn.
A long time ago I was convinced that it would be good for my kids to know another language. I wasn't sure why. I guessed that maybe stretching some neurons in childhood might be good for the long term. The jury is still out on that but those of us who are not looking forward eagerly to the wonders of assisted living and beyond might think about studying another language. Rosetta Stone, here we come.
4 comments:
Guess I'll be losing it early as I am absolutely horrible at languages.
I had six years of Latin which certainly helps with English , but it was a struggle.
Is Rosetta Stone any good? I've thought about trying it...
Hi Adrienne, thanks for dropping in. I don't think the 2nd language advantage depends on how well you do it or did it in your case. Of course, it is impossible to measure for the individual but I don't think you should be saddened by this study. Your struggles with Latin in early years may save us all a few years of costly care in your shrinking years.
Oh good! I feel much better. Thanks. ;-)
De nada.
Post a Comment