In the 1960s, being a bilingual was considered a disability/disadvantage because the thought it would slow the children’s development by forcing them to use their energy to differentiate languages
Scientists have now discovered that bilingual individuals (adults) have denser gray matter(brain tissue including nerve cells and fibers) especially in the left hemisphere of the brain as it controls language and communication skills.
The benefits of being bilingual are stronger in individuals that learned their second language before the age of six and are completely fluent with it. “This finding suggests that being bilingual from an early age significantly alters the brain’s structure.” (Perry)
The benefits of being bilingual are stronger in individuals that learned their second language before the age of six and are completely fluent with it. “This finding suggests that being bilingual from an early age significantly alters the brain’s structure.” (Perry)
Monolingual Brain = Frontal, Parietal and Temporal are weaker and barely connected (do not work as well)
Bilingual Brain = Frontal, Parietal and Temporal are stronger and better connected
Bilingual Brain = Frontal, Parietal and Temporal are stronger and better connected