Kaja K. Jasi?ska|Melody S. Berens|Ioulia Kovelman|Laura?Ann Petitto
Bilingualism yields language-specific plasticity in left hemisphere's circuitry for learning to read in young children
Haskins Laboratories|United States Department of Defense|University of Michigan–Ann Arbor|Gallaudet University|National Science Foundation
bilingual exposure impact childrens neural circuitry learning read theories bilingualism suggests exposure two languages may yield functional neuroanatomical adaptation support learning two languages klein et al 2014 test hypothesis neural adaptation may vary function structural orthographic characteristics bilinguals two languages compared spanishenglish frenchenglish bilingual children english monolingual children using functional near infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging fnirs ages 610 n 26 spanish offers consistent soundtoprint correspondences phonologically transparent shallow correspondences opaque french even opaque english transparent phonologically opaque deep correspondences consistent hypothesis french spanishenglish bilinguals showed hyperactivation left posterior temporal regions associated direct soundtoprint phonological analyses hypoactivation left frontal regions associated assembled phonology analyses spanish french bilinguals showed similar effect reading irregular words findings inform theories bilingual crosslinguistic literacy acquisition suggesting structural characteristics bilinguals two languages orthographies significant impact childrens neurocognitive architecture learning read