Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Language

Language

Language is a unique communication system that uses words and systematic rules to organize and transmit information. Unlike other forms of communication, which may involve postures, movements, odors, or vocalizations, language relies on symbols and grammar. This makes human communication distinct from that of other species, who also communicate but do not use language in the same way humans do.
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...

Uncertainty in Measurement: Reading Instruments

Uncertainty in Measurement: Reading Instruments

Counting is the type of measurement that is free from uncertainty, provided the number of objects being counted does not change during the process. Such measurements result in exact numbers. By counting the eggs in a carton, for instance, one can determine exactly how many eggs are there in the carton. Similarly, the numbers of defined quantities are also exact. For example, 1 foot is exactly 12 inches, 1 inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters, and 1 gram is exactly 0.001 kilograms. Quantities...

Components of Language

Components of Language

Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs.

Language Development

Language Development

Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...

Language and Cognition

Language and Cognition

Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Assessment of a Digital Health Platform Using Web Analytics and User Experience Measurements: Quantitative Study Based on RE-AIM.

Journal of medical Internet research·2026

Same author

Orthographic learning and the relationship to spelling in German second graders.

Journal of experimental child psychology·2026

Same author

Alterations in serum and intestinal ACE2 in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the impact of inflammation.

Frontiers in gastroenterology (Lausanne, Switzerland)·2026

Same author

Do early gains deliver lasting impact? Understanding why long-term effects of language intervention fade out.

Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines·2025

Same author

Pediatric virtual fracture clinic. Our first 10K!

Injury·2025

Same author

Evaluating a Website on Learning Disorders for Parents and Learning Therapists: Observational Mixed Methods Study.

JMIR formative research·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Published on: February 26, 2020

Bilinguals apply language-specific grain sizes during sentence reading.

Ciara Egan¹, Gary M Oppenheim², Christopher Saville¹

¹School of Psychology, Bangor University, UK.

|July 24, 2019

Summary

Bilinguals dynamically adjust their word decoding strategies based on the orthographic consistency of the language they are reading. Their reading style in one language is not compromised by knowledge of another language with different orthographic rules.

Keywords:

Bilingualism Cognates Eye-tracking Grain size Sentence reading

More Related Videos

Decomposing the Variance in Reading Comprehension to Reveal the Unique and Common Effects of Language and Decoding

Decomposing the Variance in Reading Comprehension to Reveal the Unique and Common Effects of Language and Decoding

Published on: October 11, 2018

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

Published on: October 25, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Published on: February 26, 2020

Decomposing the Variance in Reading Comprehension to Reveal the Unique and Common Effects of Language and Decoding

Decomposing the Variance in Reading Comprehension to Reveal the Unique and Common Effects of Language and Decoding

Published on: October 11, 2018

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

Published on: October 25, 2019

Area of Science:

Psycholinguistics
Cognitive Neuroscience
Bilingualism

Background:

Orthographic consistency influences word decoding styles in monolinguals.
Bilinguals may adopt distinct or a unified reading style when languages vary in consistency.

Purpose of the Study:

To characterize word decoding styles in bilinguals with languages differing in orthographic consistency.
To determine if bilinguals maintain separate reading styles or a compromise style.

Main Methods:

Experiment 1: Welsh-English bilinguals read cognates and pseudowords in Welsh and English sentences, with eye-tracking.
Experiment 2: Compared bilinguals' English reading eye movements to monolinguals'.

Main Results:

Bilinguals adapted decoding strategies based on language context (e.g., more fixations in consistent Welsh orthography).
These effects were specific to word processing, not pseudowords.
Bilinguals' English reading behavior mirrored monolinguals', showing no compromise from Welsh knowledge.

Conclusions:

Bilinguals exhibit context-dependent, dynamic decoding styles.
Knowledge of a highly consistent orthography does not negatively impact reading in a less consistent one.
Findings inform models of bilingual reading and visual word recognition.