How the language you speak
changes your view of the world
There are many good things about being able to speak more than one language: you have more job opportunities, you use your brain more, and it also helps protect you against
dementia.
New research has found that the language you are using also changes how you look at the world.
Many studies on language and bilingual people have found that moving between languages is very good training for your brain and it makes your brain more flexible.
In the same way that regular exercise is good for your physical health, using two or more languages is good for your mental health. In the brains of people who speak more than one language, the usual signs of getting old start later and the onset of some brain-related diseases like dementia or Alzheimer's is delayed by up to five years.
A study recently published in Psychological Science on German-English bilingual people compared to monolinguals looked at how their language affected how they reacted in experiments. They showed video clips of events with actions happening in them, for example: a woman walking towards a car or a man cycling towards a supermarket. The people watching the videos were then asked to describe what they saw.
Many studies on language and bilingual people have found that moving between languages is very good training for your brain and it makes your brain more flexible.
In the same way that regular exercise is good for your physical health, using two or more languages is good for your mental health. In the brains of people who speak more than one language, the usual signs of getting old start later and the onset of some brain-related diseases like dementia or Alzheimer's is delayed by up to five years.
A study recently published in Psychological Science on German-English bilingual people compared to monolinguals looked at how their language affected how they reacted in experiments. They showed video clips of events with actions happening in them, for example: a woman walking towards a car or a man cycling towards a supermarket. The people watching the videos were then asked to describe what they saw.
They found that a German monolingual speaker would usually describe the action and also the goal of the action. For example, they would say “A woman walks towards her car.” or “A man cycles towards a supermarket.” However, English monolingual speakers would just describe the action and not the goal, like “A woman is walking.” or “A man is cycling.” This shows that Germans usually look at the whole event and the English focus on only the action.
This seems to be because of how the language is structured. In English the speaker must make it obvious if an action is happening right now or continuing by using -ing verbs. For example, “I am eating so I won't answer the phone” or “I was having a bath when someone knocked on the door”. This is not the same in German.
In other research, a connection has been found between people who are good with languages and how often they mention the goal of an event.
In the study published in Psychological Science, it was found that monolingual and bilingual speakers were not only different in how they used language, but also in the non-verbal ways they categorised events.
English and German monolingual speakers were shown some videos of people walking, biking, running or driving. They were asked to decide if a video clip with an unclear goal (a woman walks down a road towards a car) was more similar to a video with a clear goal (a woman walks into a building) or a video with no goal (a woman walks down a road).
This seems to be because of how the language is structured. In English the speaker must make it obvious if an action is happening right now or continuing by using -ing verbs. For example, “I am eating so I won't answer the phone” or “I was having a bath when someone knocked on the door”. This is not the same in German.
In other research, a connection has been found between people who are good with languages and how often they mention the goal of an event.
In the study published in Psychological Science, it was found that monolingual and bilingual speakers were not only different in how they used language, but also in the non-verbal ways they categorised events.
English and German monolingual speakers were shown some videos of people walking, biking, running or driving. They were asked to decide if a video clip with an unclear goal (a woman walks down a road towards a car) was more similar to a video with a clear goal (a woman walks into a building) or a video with no goal (a woman walks down a road).
The German
participants
matched the actions with an unclear goal to the actions with a clear goal more often that the English did. This showed that English speakers look more at the action and Germans look more at the possible goal of an action.
Bilingual people were also tested, and it was found that they changed their focus depending on the language they were using. Bilingual Germans focussed on the goal when they were tested in German, but focussed on the action when they were tested in English.
The bilingual participants were also given tasks, such as repeating either English or German numbers, as they watched the videos. When they did this, the language they were using influenced their thinking more. When they were repeating numbers in English, they were more action focussed. When they were repeating numbers in German, they were more goal focussed. And when the language changed halfway through by switching the languages used for the numbers, the focus changed too.
This difference can be seen in other bilingual speakers too. Israeli Arabs connect Arab names like Ahmed and Samir to positive words when they are using Arabic more than if they are using Hebrew.
Bilingual speakers often say that they feel like a different person when they use different languages and how they express their emotions has a different meaning depending on the language they are using.
Bilingual people also seem to make more sensible decisions about money when they are using their non-native language. Using their second language makes them distance themselves from the influences that they were brought up with so that they can think more clearly.
So the way you think really is affected by the language that you speak.
This article was adapted from a piece written by Professor Panos Athanasopoulos. Read the original article here
Bilingual people were also tested, and it was found that they changed their focus depending on the language they were using. Bilingual Germans focussed on the goal when they were tested in German, but focussed on the action when they were tested in English.
The bilingual participants were also given tasks, such as repeating either English or German numbers, as they watched the videos. When they did this, the language they were using influenced their thinking more. When they were repeating numbers in English, they were more action focussed. When they were repeating numbers in German, they were more goal focussed. And when the language changed halfway through by switching the languages used for the numbers, the focus changed too.
This difference can be seen in other bilingual speakers too. Israeli Arabs connect Arab names like Ahmed and Samir to positive words when they are using Arabic more than if they are using Hebrew.
Bilingual speakers often say that they feel like a different person when they use different languages and how they express their emotions has a different meaning depending on the language they are using.
Bilingual people also seem to make more sensible decisions about money when they are using their non-native language. Using their second language makes them distance themselves from the influences that they were brought up with so that they can think more clearly.
So the way you think really is affected by the language that you speak.
This article was adapted from a piece written by Professor Panos Athanasopoulos. Read the original article here
