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Bilingual exposure enhances left IFG specialization for language in children.

ABSTRACT: Language acquisition is characterized by progressive use of inflectional morphology marking verb tense and agreement. Linguistic milestones are also linked to left-brain lateralization for language specialization. We used neuroimaging (fNIRS) to investigate how bilingual exposure influences children's cortical organization for processing morpho-syntax. In Study 1, monolinguals and bilinguals (n=39) completed a grammaticality judgment task that included English sentences with violations in earlier- (verb agreement) and later-acquired (verb tense/agreement) structures. Groups showed similar performance and greater activation in left inferior frontal region (IFG) for later- than earlier-acquired conditions. Bilinguals showed stronger and more restricted left IFG activation. In Study 2, bilinguals completed a comparable Spanish task revealing patterns of left IFG activation similar to English. Taken together, the findings suggest that bilinguals with linguistic competence at parity with monolingual counterparts have a higher degree of cortical specialization for language, likely a result of enriched linguistic experiences.

SUBMITTER: Arredondo MM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6675469 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Bilingual exposure enhances left IFG specialization for language in children.

Arredondo Maria M MM Hu Xiao-Su XS Seifert Erica E Satterfield Teresa T Kovelman Ioulia I

Bilingualism (Cambridge, England) 20180618 4

Language acquisition is characterized by progressive use of inflectional morphology marking verb tense and agreement. Linguistic milestones are also linked to left-brain lateralization for language specialization. We used neuroimaging (fNIRS) to investigate how bilingual exposure influences children's cortical organization for processing morpho-syntax. In Study 1, monolinguals and bilinguals (<i>n</i>=39) completed a grammaticality judgment task that included English sentences with violations in ...[more]

PMID: 31372091

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Bilingual exposure enhances left IFG specialization for language in children.

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Bilingual exposure enhances left IFG specialization for language in children.

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