this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2024
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children have vastly more plastic brains than adults do. Even adults who literally move to another country to learn a language generally have a harder time to learn language. A lot of kids are educated in bi-lingual locations, they manage to pick up two languages while still being schooled, you as an adult couldn't manage that shit even with a job.
There is also data that suggests if you don't pick up a language before a certain point in your life, you will never be truly fluent in a language. There's at least one feral child case that backs this up.
Though, learning a language is actually one of the best defenses against stuff like dementia, so if you're worried about that, and older, go learn a language or two.
It's important to keep your brain busy so your mental health never declines significantly.
I remember reading about a deaf colony in (IIRC) Guatemala that was initially populated by deaf adults who had learned sign language as adults or older children. The original residents had children, and the children developed the sign language into a more complex “full” language with more developed grammar and syntax. Children’s ability to learn language goes beyond their higher neuroplasticity.
there's a possibility it does, but considering the part of the brain that deals with language, is also the brain, i'm not sure how ultimately relevant it is.
Although, language disorders would likely align with your statement that language abilities aren't just high neuroplasticity, regardless the capacity to learn it is going to be a highly plastic experience.
We only have one case to base this on though, no? Genie? That said, it's important to teach deaf children sign language as early as possible, which I'm sure is much more deeply researched.
I've always wondered if this idea may have some issues relating to biased sampling. We look at older people who either do or do not know multiple languages and determine whether they've begun to develop dementia-like symptoms and draw conclusions from there. Have we ruled out the possibility that those who are predisposed to dementia will struggle to become bilingual in the first place?
Reminds me of how doctors used to think caffeine had protective effects on the heart as caffeine drinkers had stronger hearts on average. Turns out people with undiagnosed heart issues would just have negative symptoms from caffeine, so they avoided drinking it.
i believe this is the case, but there is probably external evidence that points to this as well. The sign language is an interesting point though.
that's a possibility i suppose, but i believe the general field of science surrounding this also supports the idea that keeping your brain engaged and healthy improves your mental health as you age. Similarly to your physical body, which would make sense, though that technically isn't scientific lol.
There are likely studies that account for this as well, people who learned a second language later in their life, vs people who grew up bilingual and people who are monolingual.
It's also generally understood that your brain is highly plastic, and if you don't use it then you lose it. It's why applying learned concepts is so important, and it's part of the reason you need refreshers after a few years, so this also seems to line up with that idea.
I, too, prefer to side on the scientific consensus haha. But it's interesting to think about from an outside perspective.
I'm actually studying Japanese right now as a direct result of a minor concussion with the hopes it would help with recovery. On the downside if it doesn't, at least I'll know some Japanese, I guess.
best of luck with that, even if it doesn't help, it still gives you something to focus on, which is probably a good thing for recovery in any case.
The downwind effects of things are often multi faceted and we don't think about them very much.