Neuropsychological approaches to bilingualism: A critical review.

Abstract

Clinical and experimental studies which have examined the neuropsychological bases of language processing in bilinguals are reviewed and evaluated. Evidence from case studies of polyglot aphasics suggests that the neuropsychological organization of their languages is the same for most bilinguals but that cases of dissociation do occur. Two main factors -language specific and language acquisitional -which might account for dissociation are defined and empirical evidence relevant to each is considered. It is argued that while clinical case studies of bilinguals suffering language disruption following brain damage have been significant in isolating these factors, they have failed to establish their explanatory power, due in part to inadequate data bases and in part to weak hypothesis-testing procedures.

Laterality and language experience

“…Although some proposals in the bilingual laterality literature have suggested a less lateralised pattern when both languages are acquired early (e.g., Birdsong & Molis, 2001;Goral, Levy, & Obler, 2002;Hull & Vaid, 2005;Long, 1990;Vaid, 1987;Vaid & Hall, 1991), many bilingual cognitive theories have assumed that early language learning will follow the established (left lateralised) monolingual pattern, and that only later learned languages will have be handled differently (e.g., Dijkstra & Van Heuven, 2002;Genesee et al, 1978;Kroll & Stewart, 1994;Ullman, 2001Ullman, , 2004Vaid & Genesee, 1980). The present findings of a different pattern of language laterality for people who learned two languages early in development relative to those who learned only one language presents a compelling argument that there is something special about early exposure to multiple languages that affects neurofunctional organisation.…”

“…Two early hypotheses proposed were the second language hypothesis (Genesee, 1982), which predicts that bilinguals in general will be more RH lateralised for language than monolinguals, and the balanced bilingual hypothesis (Galloway, 1983), which posits that proficient bilinguals in particular will show greater RH participation than monolinguals. Two other hypotheses *the age of second language acquisition hypothesis (Genesee, Hamers, Lambert, Mononen, Seitz, & Starck, 1978;Vaid & Genesee, 1980) and the stage of second language acquisition hypothesis (Albert & Obler, 1978;Galloway & Krashen, 1980;Obler, 1981;Schneiderman, 1986) *predict differential language lateralisation according to either the age at which a bilingual acquires the L2, or the degree to which a bilingual masters the L2, respectively.…”

Očuvanje hrvatskog jezika u Kanadi

“…Ispitanici prve generacije engleski su počeli učiti u adolescentskoj dobi ili u ranoj mladosti te se stoga smatraju kasnim dvojezičnim govornicima. S druge pak strane, njihovi potomci, koji su engleski naučili u ranom djetinjstvu i koji su se školovali na engleskom jeziku, smatraju se ranim dvojezičnim govornicima (Vaid i Genesee, 1980). Anketni upitnik sadržavao je pitanja o jeziku, društvenom životu i uključenosti u aktivnosti hrvatske zajednice te vlastitom etničkom identitetu.…”

Simultaneous interpreters: One ear may be better than two

“…Monolingual children, for example, show highly asymmetric lateralization effects in favour of left hemisphere superiority, whereas bilingual children revealed tendencies towards more symmetric hemispheric language laterality because the right hemisphere was more prominently brought into play (for extensive reviews, see Hall and Lambert, 1988;Vaid, 1983;Vaid and Genesee, 1980). Although the literature on the functional asymmetry of cerebral hemispheres may seem either irrelevant or baffling to the interpretation profession at first glance, interpreter-trainers and cognitive psychologists cannot afford to ignore this informative research that addresses the possibility that distinct lateralization patterns may characterize individuals who speak more than one language and, by extension, both translators and interpreters.…”