A Useful Experience For Bilinguals - Research

Globalization and interaction of cultures in the modern world lead to an increase in the number of bilinguals - people with two native languages. Psychologists believe that their style of thinking (due to a different way of using language) is significantly different from usual. And these differences lead to positive consequences.

At the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on February 13, 2016, cognitive psychologist Judith F. Kroll shared the results of several studies with bilinguals and drew relevant conclusions. A professor of psychology, a linguist and a researcher of the female psyche, for example, noted that the structure of brain activity, the interconnections in the process of brain activity, are fundamentally different from those of native speakers of the same language.

For most people who have only one native language, all other languages are "minor". Consequently, monolinguals have only one language in their heads constantly, and therefore they easily switch to the second - memorized - language, being in an environment that does not correspond to their language culture (and culture in general).

For bilinguals, perception is structured differently. Both of their languages are "paramount". And both are "on" all the time. Consequently, they all the time have to control the situation and their thinking, so as not to imperceptibly switch to the "wrong" language. They are permanently in the plane of simultaneously two contradicting linguistic cultures.

Of course, bilinguals, like all people, are different: for some, dualism manifests itself only in the field of linguistics, and for others, in culture as a whole: that is, together with linguistic culture, they often adopt general cultural codes. But in any case, scientists intend to use the knowledge gained in the future.

“This ability to“juggle”two languages, constant interlingual struggle and at the same time interaction at each stage (from words to grammar, from grammar to speech, from speech to discourse, etc.) can greatly help in resolving cognitive conflicts in the psyche of any person, - says Kroll, - the experience of bilinguals only shows that the reorganization of the brain is theoretically possible if we use data on the systemic features of bilingual thinking, try to comprehend these algorithms in their generalized form and subsequently even implement them.

She intends to launch her own project on the basis of the available research in the near future at the Linguistic Center of Penn State University, which would result in practical recommendations for a wide audience on the use of specific functions of bilingual thinking.