Learning a new language can increase the size of certain parts of the brain, particularly the hippocampus responsible for memory. The amount of effort put in affects which parts grow, with easier learners seeing growth in the superior temporal gyrus and struggling learners in the middle frontal gyrus.
Physical brain size has been found to increase in adults learning a new language. The structure of the brain remains the same, but some parts may increase in size after an in-depth study of language, research has shown. The main change usually affects the hippocampus, the structure responsible for memory, specifically the conversion of information from short-term memory to long-term memory. Other parts of the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain that’s often called the gray matter, may be affected, depending on how much effort a person has to put into learning a new language. A Swedish study found that people who learned a new language more easily had greater growth in the superior temporal gyrus, which is linked to language learning. Those who struggled were more likely to experience growth in the middle frontal gyrus, which correlates with motor function.
Learn more about language learning:
Most humans are fluent in their native language before the age of 5.
Italian Cardinal Mezzofanti, born in 1774, is said to be fluent in as many as 72 languages.
If someone becomes fluent in a new language after puberty, they will likely always speak it with an accent.
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