No, I don’t mean a ghost that walks around the attic making loud noises and moving objects. That’s a poltergeist!
A polyglot, on the other hand, is a more tame individual who is fluent in several languages.
Then there are the hyperpolyglots – those who actively learn and master six or more languages, like Emil Krebs, a 19th-century German diplomat who had mastered around 65 languages by the time of his death.
Konnikova says the bilingual advantage seems to have more of a protective effect on the aging brain than it does anything to enhance executive-control functions of healthy individuals.
While the Konnikova’s arguments are persuasive, I am sure of one thing:
When you learn a new language and use new words and grammar rules, multiple areas of your brain work together. This is a great long-term workout for your brain.
And since your brain is a muscle, it needs regular workouts to remain strong, supple and stable!
The Inside Story: Why Bilingualism Is Not Just About Speaking Two (Or More) Languages
Contrary to general perception, bilingualism is not just about the ability to speak two languages fluently.
There are a lot of little nitty-gritty aspects involved.
For instance:
You could be a “simultaneous bilingual” who learns two languages from birth.
Or, you could be an “early sequential bilingual.”
What the heck do those terms mean?
“Early sequential bilingual” is a fancy term for those kids who speak one language at home but learn to speak the community language at school. There is also the “late sequential bilingual” – someone who grew up with one language and then moved to a country that speaks another.
Why are these terms important?
The differences in how and when you learned your second language often leads to different levels of proficiency and fluency. This, in turn, affects your level of being bilingual.
For instance, if you were fluent in French (along with English) in high school but have been using only English ever since, your bilingualism and its related advantages may have deteriorated.
A recent study by Yeh-Zu Tzou shows how working memory is important but language proficiency in the native language (L1) and second language (L2) assumes a more critical role in a person’s ability to process and store information simultaneously.
Another study shows bilingualism is not a categorical variable (that is you are either bilingual or not) but rather the “bilingual experience is composed of multiple related dimensions that will need to be considered in assessments of the consequences of bilingualism.”
The Trouble With Knowing Two Languages: Each Fight For Supreme Control
As a bilingual, when you use one language, the other is also active at the same time.
This creates a persistent linguistic competition which can result in language difficulties.
For instance, bilinguals are known to be prone to the tip-of-the-tongue syndrome where you can remember specific details about a word but cannot conjure the word fully.
Some mnemonists and memory champions also term it as “ghosting.” I refer to it as “Magnetic fossilization.”
Either way, if you have ever been in a position where someone’s name is right on the tip of your tongue but you can’t get your brain to say it out loud, remember that the word is competition with some other information or similar sounding words in your brain.
But there is good news:
The bilingual brain relies on control mechanisms such as attention and inhibition, every time she or he speaks or listens to maintain the balance between the competing languages. Due to this constant practice, these control mechanisms are strengthened with changes occurring in the associated brain regions.
Could there be other benefits to this constant brain workout?
Bilingualism And Its Connection With a Better Brain
As I said earlier, being bilingual is a constant brain exercise.
Regularly juggling two languages gives the brain better abilities to filter out unnecessary information which helps in improved focus and attention.
Since bilinguals are used to switching between two languages, they are also excellent at switching between tasks, even if these tasks have nothing to do with language.
In the study, participants were asked to perform language comprehension tasks where they had to hear a word and then recognize its corresponding photo.
For example, volunteers would hear the word “candy” and then they would see four pictures, including a picture of candy and a picture of a similar-sounding word, such as “candle.” The experiment aimed to see how well the participants were able to recognize the correct word and ignore the similar-sounding competing word.
The results showed that bilinguals performed better than their monolingual counterparts at ignoring the competing words. This is because people who speak more than one language are already used to controlling two languages and suppressing irrelevant words they don’t need.
The ability to tune out irrelevant information is a strong indicator of mental abilities and can help bilingual individuals concentrate better by blocking outside noise in a busy classroom or office space.
Another advantage of speaking two languages – you have more efficient monitoring systems.
Add consistent memory training to that healthy mix and you’re golden.
But if you leave aside the health benefits, the simple act of learning a new language in itself is a fun proposition.
It enables you to interact with interesting people and exposes you to new cultures and practices.
Any new challenge and novelty help to keep the brain active and vibrant. Like doing crosswords, for instance, stimulates the brain and makes for a fun workout…
So long as you don’t let them frustrate you!
And of course, being multilingual can be extremely useful when trying to impress a date.
But the coolest, most fun way to quickly master a new language while maintaining a superior brain is to build Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way.
One important reason why Memory Palace is effective and attractive to many users is that it reduces cognitive overwhelm or overload.
There’s more…
Creating Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way unlocks the power of your multiple intelligences plus autobiographical memory, episodic memory, semantic memory, procedural memory and other kinds of memory.
This incredible combination of intelligence and memory strengthening is very powerful because, combined with Recall Rehearsal, the holistic process lets you move information from short-term memory into long-term memory faster.
If you are keen on this memory training technique…
Click on the image below to get started:
When Words Don’t (And Won’t) Boost Your Brain…
Knowing many languages has the power to help you express yourself fluently. And language learning is tremendously useful when you are trying to improve memory, clarity, and focus.
With the Magnetic Memory Method, you gain the ability to not only remember information faster but also get predictable and reliable permanence. This grows in strength each time you create Memory Palaces using this method.
Ready to add this memory improvement method to the lexicon of your life? Let me know in the comments below or feel free to post your questions.
Are you a polyglot?
