The Mysteries of Comprehension

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Polyglots who can speak more than five languages have long fascinated linguists, who want to understand how these individuals use their “language network” – a set of specialized brain areas located in the left frontal and temporal lobes, Science magazine reported.

As a result, a research team in a new study scanned the brains of 25 polyglots, 16 of whom spoke more than 10 languages – known as hyperpolyglots – to understand how their minds work when subjected to different languages.

The team then asked participants to listen to a series of 16-second-long recordings in eight different languages, and monitored their minds using brain imaging techniques.

These recordings included snippets in the volunteers’ native language, snippets in languages they have learned, and four unfamiliar tongues. Two of the unfamiliar languages were closely related to the participants’ native tongue, while the other two were completely alien.

The findings showed that participants used the same networks as monolinguals – people who speak only one language – to figure out the languages.

Brain activity fluctuated based on how well they knew the language: For example, it spiked when participants heard unfamiliar languages closely related to the ones they knew.

However, their language networks became quieter when the individuals listened to their native language.

Researchers hypothesized that this could be because the knowledge gained early in life reduces the amount of brain power required for an activity.

However, they explained that the results are primarily descriptive and that more research is needed.

The authors hope that a better understanding of how the brain learns languages can lead to better tools to help people relearn languages more easily after a stroke or brain damage.