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Sci Guys

237: The Science of Bilinguals

Sci Guys

The Sci Guys

Science, Comedy, Education

4.9632 Ratings

🗓️ 30 October 2023

⏱️ 75 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

There's some evidence that langauges can impact the way your brain works, but what happens when you know more than one? Thanks to our patrons, that's exactly what we're chatting about this week! Exclusively in English, unfortunately...

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References & Further Reading
Language
https://www.britannica.com/topic/language

Bilinguals
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4295724/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6168212/#:~:text=Bilinguals%20who%20learn%20two%20languages,referred%20to%20as%20sequential%20bilinguals.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5324728/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cogs.12672

How Language Affects the Brain
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/aug/07/being-bilingual-good-for-brain-mental-health
https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/bilingual-advantage-aging-brain
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/02/the-battle-over-bilingualism/462114/
https://ilabs.uw.edu/sites/default/files/2017_FerjanRamirez_Kuhl_NAEYC.pdf
https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2022/04/29/learning-language-changes-your-brain/
https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/articles/2017/language-shapes-how-the-brain-perceives-time/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-language-shapes-thought/
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20221103-how-language-warps-the-way-you-perceive-time-and-space

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hello and welcome to the Sci Guys, the show where we talk about the crazy, weird and wonderful stories from the science world.

0:13.3

I'm Corey, and as always, I'm joined by my co-host, the Linguistic Luke Cutfer.

0:19.0

Ahoy there. This ofok a redden we're about language learners and spraka studenten.

0:34.4

But first, we have OE Spotify update. Now, look, we have 47,000 followers on Spotify. A few more than that, 47,000 8151. Everyone tells a friendly, tell a friend, we get more followers. Really cool, really great, awesome. Nice, right? But what I find more interesting is that we now have Q and A's on Spotify. We ask a Q and they A are Q.

0:57.1

And so I have an A to one of our Q's.

1:00.2

It says, I want to go to space like a little kid wants to go to space.

1:04.4

I want to see stars and galaxies and fly around just because.

1:08.1

On the other hand, I am terrified of the thought of actually going to space.

1:12.2

There you go. So if you answer one of our Q&A's on Spotify, you might have the chance for that A to be read out on the podcast.

1:20.3

The A to the A to the Q. Shall we get to the queue that I'm going to A, you for you to A?

1:25.3

Amy right now, Q Master. How many and which languages do you speak?

1:29.3

Yo, I've learned Pocado Español, and I speak some English.

1:32.3

Some.

1:33.3

Sorry, yes.

1:34.3

Now, if you would like to answer this question, go ahead and do it over on Spotify,

1:42.3

or you could head to the YouTube comments and do that there too.

1:46.3

Or hey, why don't you find a little ant and have it write it out in the sand?

1:51.2

Take a picture and throw that picture into the ocean and it might make its way to us.

1:55.2

So let's get into the episode, Luke.

1:57.6

Around the world, an estimated 60 to 70% of people speak more than one language.

2:01.6

But the real question is, how does this affect the brain?

2:04.6

Now, I know I did a Spotify update. I want to do a Spotify update, but this was a Patreon

...

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