Main -> In the News: Language
Being Bilingual May Boost Your Brain Power (NPR, 4/2/2011) Length: 4 mins.
"Research suggests that the growing numbers of bilingual speakers may have an advantage that goes beyond communication: It turns out that being bilingual is also good for your brain."
Discussion questions: What does the research say are the benefits of being bilingual?
Does Your Language Shape How You Think (NY Times, 8/26/2010)
"[I]f different languages influence our minds in different ways, this is not because of what our language allows us to think but rather because of what it habitually obliges us to think about."
Discussion questions: Explain what is meant by that statement. Provide evidence given by the article.
Deciphering the Chatter of Monkeys and Chimps (NY Times, 1/12/2010)
Non-human primates clearly have communication through vocalization. In baboons, even the order of the vocalizations matter. Even though non-human primates have the basic building blocks, they haven't developed language.
Discussion questions: According to this article, what are the key components to developing language?