8 Scientific Facts About How the Brain Processes Language
By Tushar Kumar
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Believe it or not, babies start recognizing speech patterns while still in the womb! By the third trimester, they can distinguish their mother's voice and language, laying the foundation for future language learning.
1 - Language Processing Starts in the Womb
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Our brains naturally grasp grammar rules. The left hemisphere, especially Broca's area, specializes in understanding and producing complex sentences, even if we're not consciously aware of grammar rules.
2 - The Brain is Wired for Syntax
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Speaking multiple languages rewires the brain for greater cognitive flexibility. Bilinguals switch tasks more easily and handle decision-making conflicts better because their brains juggle two linguistic systems.
3 - Bilingual Brains are More Flexible
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The brain’s neuroplasticity means it's never too late to learn a new language. Knowing more languages strengthens your brain’s language networks, making them more robust.
4 - Neuroplasticity Helps Us Learn New Languages
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Mirror neurons in the brain connect words to physical actions. Hearing action words like "run" or "jump" activates these neurons as if preparing for the actions, aiding in a deeper, intuitive understanding of language.
5 - Mirror Neurons Connect Language to Action
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The brain doesn’t just passively receive language, it predicts what comes next in a conversation or sentence. This helps us process spoken language faster and more accurately, making communication smoother.
6 - Your Brain Predicts What You Hear Next
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Learning to read literally changes the brain. Studies show that literacy reshapes the visual cortex for recognizing letter patterns and the corpus callosum for better communication between hemispheres.
7 - Reading Changes the Brain Structure
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Our brains use overlapping regions to process both language and emotion. These areas help decode words and interpret their emotional tone, allowing us to sense feelings like upset or happiness through speech alone.