Speaking more than one language has more benefits besides having an easier time traveling or watching movies without subtitles. Being bilingual (knowing two languages) or multilingual (knowing more than two languages) means that your brain may look or work differently. 

Most bilinguals around the world know and use their language in varying proportions, and depending on how they acquired their languages, they can be classified into three different types. As a compound bilingual, a person may develop two linguistic codes simultaneously, with a single set of concepts, learning both English and another language as the person begins to process the world around them. A coordinated bilingual person, on the other hand, would use two sets of concepts, learning English at school, and speaking a different language at home with family and friends. A subordinate bilingual person learns a secondary language by filtering it through their primary language. 

“Since my family is Korean, they do not know how to speak English,” said Arcadia High School (AHS) junior Angelina Kim. “I started learning English at the age of five at school. Knowing both English and Korean has brought benefits to my family because whenever my parents need a Korean translator, I can help them anytime. It has also helped me because whenever I need to communicate in Korean I can.” 

All types of bilingual people have the ability to become fully proficient in a language, regardless of accent or pronunciation. This is why the difference may not be apparent to a casual observer. However, recent advances in brain imaging technology have helped neurolinguistics understand how specific aspects of language learning affect the bilingual brain. It is commonly known that the brain’s left hemisphere is more dominant and analytical in logical processes whereas the right hemisphere is more active in emotional and social ones. Language involves both of these functions, while lateralization develops gradually with age. 

This fact leads us to the critical period hypothesis. This theory states that children have an easier time learning languages because the plasticity of their developing brains lets them use both hemispheres in language acquisition. On the other hand, for most adults, language is usually lateralized to the left hemisphere. Assuming this theory is true, learning a language in childhood may give the person a more holistic grasp of its social and emotional contexts. Specific research from TedEd has shown that those who have learned a second language in adulthood have trouble exhibiting an emotional bias and have a more rational approach when confronting problems in the second language than in their native one. 

However, regardless of when a person may acquire additional languages, being multilingual comes with remarkable advantages for your brain. Some of these changes are visible, such as a higher density of the grey matter that contains most of your brain’s neurons and synapses, along with more activity in certain regions when engaging in a second language. These advantages can also help delay the onset of diseases, like Alzheimer’s and dementia by as much as five years. 

Recent studies from La Tribu Austin have also shown that the effort and attention needed to switch between languages triggered more activity in, and potentially strengthened the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain plays a large role in executive function, problem-solving, switching between tasks, and focusing while filtering out irrelevant information. Despite the fact that bilingualism may not necessarily make you smarter, it does make your brain more healthy, complex, and actively engaged. 

“Knowing more than one language has given me a bridge between the barriers being monolingual would present,” said AHS junior Amiruthaa Amudharasan. “I’m able to talk to my grandparents and even foreign students if they need help. Additionally, knowing another language in a country filled with so much diversity gives me an opportunity to feel closer to my own heritage and culture. Despite being in America, there’s so much more about me.”

Even if you didn’t get the good fortune of learning a different language at a young age, don’t hesitate to do yourself a favor and make the linguistic leap from “Hello” to “Hola”, “Bonjour”, or “你 好” (nǐ hǎo). Giving your brain a little exercise can go a long way. 

Photo by Leonardo Toshiro Okubo