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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

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Early setting of grammatical processing in the bilingual brain.

Isabell Wartenburger1, Hauke R Heekeren, Jubin Abutalebi

  • 1Department of Neurology, Charité, Humboldt-University, Schumannstr. 20-21, 10117 Berlin, Germany. isabell.wartenburger@charite.de

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|January 16, 2003
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The age of acquisition (AOA) and proficiency level (PL) in bilinguals impact how the brain processes grammar and semantics. AOA primarily influences grammatical processing, while PL affects semantic judgment networks.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • The critical period hypothesis for language acquisition remains debated.
  • Bilingual individuals with varied ages of acquisition (AOA) and proficiency levels (PL) offer a valuable model for investigating language learning.
  • Understanding the neural basis of second language (L2) processing is crucial for psycholinguistics and cognitive neuroscience.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the differential effects of AOA and PL on the neural correlates of grammatical and semantic judgments in bilinguals.
  • To explore how AOA and PL modulate brain activity patterns during L2 processing.
  • To contribute to the debate on critical periods in language acquisition by examining neural substrates.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed to measure brain activity.
  • Italian-German bilingual participants with diverse AOA and PL were recruited.
  • Participants underwent tasks assessing grammatical and semantic judgments in their second language.

Main Results:

  • Neural activity during semantic judgments was significantly influenced by the proficiency level (PL).
  • The age of acquisition (AOA) predominantly affected the cortical representation of grammatical processing.
  • Distinct neural substrates were identified for grammatical versus semantic processing, modulated by AOA and PL.

Conclusions:

  • Both AOA and PL play a significant role in shaping the neural architecture of second language processing.
  • AOA and PL exert differential influences on grammatical and semantic components of L2.
  • Findings support a nuanced view of L2 acquisition, highlighting the interplay between learning parameters and neural representation.