Bilingualism and Alzheimer's

As a former teacher of French at the secondary level, I have always been in favor of teaching languages in addition to English in US public schools.  It is arguable that English itself might be better off taught as a foreign language to American students.  Too many seem not even to have a firm grammatical grasp of our supposed national language even after having been taught for twelve or more years.  But that is not my issue here.

There are many good reasons for students to learn at least one language in addition to English.  These rationales range from increasing cultural knowledge, sensitivity and empathy to improving one's chances in the ever more competitive global marketplace, provided that one has skills and training to complement one's linguistic achievements.  Having lived in a multicultural, multilingual European society for nearly 17 years, I believe that many young Americans will be quite startled to discover that not only are educational systems in Europe superb, but they are every bit as good as our own.  In some cases, they are superior.  Most pertinent to the topic here, many if not most students educated in continental European systems are fluent in English in addition to their native language.  Many are fluent in three or more languages.  Being bilingual is not exceptional at all here; being monolingual is.

My view that any other system may be superior to that of the USA borders on heresy for some.    While I hate to burst their bubble, our insular view of our own systems - especially those of health, education and social welfare - as superior to those of all others, without regard to the facts, has not served us well.  That insularity prevents us from addressing the dysfunctionalities of our systems in any practical, logical or meaningful fashion.  So we lurch from bad to worse, while politicians without backbones pander to the lowest instincts of the least informed among us.  Sad to say, there are even English-only movements afoot in this 21st century.

But now, there is another rationale for bilingualism that is very practical.  We are rapidly becoming a population weighted more heavily with seniors like me.  We live longer than most in previous generations.  Our impact on overburdened health systems is already disquieting.  One of the most dreaded and devastating diseases to which we are prone is the insidious Alzheimer's that inexorably eats away at our brain cells to leave us literally rattling around in otherwise healthy physical shells.

While there is still much to be discovered about this disease, one heartening bit of news for those of us who have learned and use other languages regularly is that recent studies indicate that bilingualism can ward off an early onset of Alzheimer's.   The studies also indicate that bilingual children are better at prioritizing tasks and multitasking.

Ellen Bialystok, a psychologist at York University in Toronto, whose research was recently published in the journal Neurology, concludes:

"Being bilingual has certain cognitive benefits and boosts the performance of the brain, especially one of the most important areas known as the executive control system.  We know that this system deteriorates with age but we have found that at every stage of life it functions better in bilinguals. They perform at a higher level. It won't stop them getting Alzheimer's disease, but they can cope with the disease for longer."

Judith Kroll, a psychologist at Penn State University, also conducted research that supports the idea that speaking more than one language keeps the brain in shape and bolsters mental function. Her research found that bilingual speakers could outperform monolinguals in mental tasks such as editing out irrelevant information and focusing on important details.

"We would probably refer to most of these cognitive advantages as multi-tasking.  Bilinguals seem to be better at this type of perspective-taking.  The received wisdom was that bilingualism created confusion, especially in children. The belief was that people who could speak two or more languages had difficulty using either. The bottom line is that bilingualism is good for you."

I am heartened to see that the studies reinforce what I have experienced and witnessed in my own life.  Learning more than one language does not result in confusion.  It results in additional capacity to cope with life.  For one thing, it breaks down the rigidity of one linguistic code and opens the mind to another, thus opening that mind to new perceptions and experiences as well as enhancing communication possibilities, needed now more than ever.  The new linguistic code(s) can also help to prevent the mind from stagnation.

I am also happy to see my own grandchildren delighting in the antics of Dora the Explorer and already counting and singing in Spanish.  I hope that this is only the beginning for them.  I would love for them to learn French, Arabic, Chinese and whatever other languages their little hearts desire.  There is so much that is lovely to experience in the world, so long as we open our minds to it.