Both languages are active at all times in bilinguals, meaning the individuals cannot easily turn off either language and the languages are in competition with one another. In turn this causes bilinguals to juggle the two languages, reshaping the network in the brain that supports each. “The consequences of bilingualism are not limited to language but reflect a reorganization of brain networks that hold implications for the ways in which bilinguals negotiate cognitive competition more generally,” said Kroll. Kroll was instrumental in establishing the first U.S. chapter of Bilingualism Matters at Penn State, within the University’s Center for Language Science. Bilingualism Matters is an international organization that aims to bring practically applicable findings from current bilingual research to the public.

 

Victoria M. Indivero

Work Phone:
814-865-9481

A’ndrea Elyse Messer

Work Phone:
814-865-9481
http://news.psu.edu/story/392426/2016/02/13/research/language-juggling-rewires-bilingual-brains