This document discusses research on the organization of language in the multilingual brain. It describes how Broca's area and Wernicke's area were identified as critical for language processing and are typically located in the left hemisphere. While language abilities are predominantly left-lateralized, additional brain areas are involved. The organization of first (L1) and second (L2) languages can differ depending on the age of L2 acquisition, level of L2 proficiency, and how the L2 was learned. Younger acquisition and higher proficiency are linked to more similar organization of L1 and L2, while older acquisition involves relatively more right hemisphere involvement for L2. Brain damage generally affects all languages known but the most

1. AL402, E4.5 Academic year: 2010-2011 WINTER CHAPTER 6:LANGUAGE & THE BRAIN Template Lecturer: MeasSopheak Group 1: Vorleak, Sopheap, LeangHy, Sakada, Rachna and Bandith

2. 02 Contents Introduction How independent are the language of multilingual speakers? Multiple language structure in the brain Relationship between L1 & L2 in brain organization Language when brain damage

6. Right hemisphere is responsible for the movement and nonlinguistic. Ex. Visuospatialinformation.

9. Methods of Gathering Data of the Brain:

10. Correlation of location

11. Presentation of stimuli from different languages

12. Mapping the brain

13. Positron Emission Tomography

15. How are multiple language structures organized in relation to one another in the brain? Are both languages stores in the same areas? 14 For at least some multilinguals, it appears that L1 and L2 are stored in somewhat different areas of the brain, but both are predominantly in (probably overlapping) areas of the left hemisphere. The area common to both L1 and L2 storage is near Sylvian fissure in the left hemisphere, but L1 or L2 (more likely L2) is disrupted by stimulation of points further away from the Sylvian fissure.

17. Age of acquisition influences brain organization. - Vaid (1993): acquiring L2 later in life involves more right hemisphere. - Wuillemin and Richards (1994): acquiring L2 (age 9-12) involves more right hemisphere than before age 4.

20. When damage, the last-learned language would be the first lost

21. Recovery language was happened to the most recent use one (Obler and Gjerlow, 1999)

22. L1 is the first to be recovered

23. When brain is damaged, it effect not only