Laterality and language experience
Date
2006Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
A meta-analysis was conducted on studies that examined hemispheric functional
asymmetry for language in brain-intact monolingual and bilingual adults. Data
from 23 laterality studies that directly compared bilingual and monolingual
speakers on the same language were analysed (n / 1234). Variables examined were
language experience (monolingual, bilingual), experimental paradigm (dichotic
listening, visual hemifield presentation, and dual task) and, among bilinguals, the influence of second language proficiency (proficient vs nonproficient) and onset of bilingualism (early, or before age 6; and late, or after age 6). Overall, monolinguals and late bilinguals showed reliable left hemisphere dominance, while early bilinguals showed reliable bilateral hemispheric involvement. Within bilinguals, there was no reliable effect of language proficiency when age of L2 acquisition was controlled.The findings indicate that early learning of one vs. two languages predicts divergent patterns of cerebral language lateralisation in adulthood.
Description
A meta-analysis of studies of brain lateralization of language in early and late bilinguals and single language users.Subject
brain lateralitymeta-analysis
language experience
bilingualism
visual hemifield asymmetries
dichotic listening
early bilinguals
bilingual language lateralization