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Related Experiment Videos

Brain processing of native and foreign languages

D Perani1, S Dehaene, F Grassi

  • 1INB-CNR, Universities of Milan, Italy.

Neuroreport
|November 4, 1996
PubMed
Summary
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Brain imaging reveals that the native language activates specific brain areas more than a later-acquired second language. Processing a second or unknown language engages distinct phonological processing regions, highlighting early language exposure

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Linguistics
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Understanding how the brain processes different languages is crucial for cognitive neuroscience.
  • Previous studies in monolinguals show specific brain activations for language processing.
  • The neural basis for processing native versus second languages, especially when acquired later in life, requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate brain activity differences in adults listening to their native, a second, and an unknown language using positron emission tomography (PET).
  • To identify brain regions activated by native language processing compared to second language acquisition.
  • To explore the role of phonological processing areas in the comprehension of familiar and unfamiliar languages.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Positron emission tomography (PET) was employed to measure brain activity.
  • Participants listened to stories in three conditions: native language, second language (acquired post-age seven), and an unknown third language.
  • A backward speech control task was used to isolate language-specific activations.

Main Results:

  • Native language processing activated several brain areas, some of which were not activated by the second language.
  • Both the second and unknown languages elicited distinct left-hemispheric activations in phonological processing areas.
  • These phonological processing areas were not engaged during the backward speech control task.

Conclusions:

  • Certain brain regions appear to be uniquely shaped by early exposure to a native language.
  • These native-language-specific areas may not be fully recruited for processing a second language acquired later in life.
  • Distinct neural pathways, particularly in phonological processing, are involved in processing both familiar and unfamiliar languages.