The Bilingual Brain

Arturo E. Hernandez

• The last book on the bilingual brain came out more than 20 years ago—this study covers many advances in the field
• Hernandez covers new technologies that allow researchers to peer into the intact brain while it is at work
• The book also illustrates brain-processes with colorful case studies of impairment and compensation, in language retention
• The work also considers new advances in models of language processing and development, brought on by the merging of brain and mind sciences

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From Our Blog

The truth about 'Latinx' [a revision]

In recent years, the term Latinx has become popular in academic settings in English to designate a group of people without reference to gender, which is designated by -o and -a endings in some Romance languages. While academics and Twitter users have begun to use the term, only 2% of the U.S. population actually identifies with this word. Latinx has become so widely used that Elizabeth Warren has taken to using it on the campaign trail.

Posted on November 26, 2019

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The truth about 'Latinx'

Posted on November 16, 2019

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Does a person's personality change when they speak another language?

During the first run of my Coursera course on the bilingual brain, a student asked whether changing languages leads to people changing personalities. Considerable discussion ensued about this on the forums. My initial answer was that language was a marker of a set of circumstances and as such was likely to be accompanied by a shift in context.

Posted on April 30, 2015

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Why you should never trust a pro

A few years ago a friend of mine and I were intent on learning German. We were both taking an adult beginning German class together and were trying to make sense of what the teacher was telling us. As time progressed I began to use CDs in my car to practice the language everyday. I could repeat a lot of the phrases and slowly built up my ability to speak.

Posted on September 21, 2014

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Michael Jackson, 10,000 hours, and the roots of creative genius

That any person could become an expert in something if they simply spend about 3 hours per day for ten years is an appealing concept. This idea, first championed by Ericsson and brought to prominence by Gladwell, has now taken root in the popular media. It attempts to discuss these differences in terms of the environment. The idea is that practice with the purpose of constantly gathering feedback and improving can lead any person to become an expert.

Posted on August 8, 2014

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Does learning a second language lead to a new identity?

Everyday I get asked why second language learning is so hard and what can be done to make it easier. One day a student came up to me after class and asked me how his mother could learn to speak English better. She did not seem to be able to break through and start speaking.

Posted on June 22, 2014

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What do Otis Redding and Roberto Carlos have in common?

Soul's latest incarnation comes in the guise of St. Paul and the Broken Bones. St. Paul is not really a saint. He is Paul Janeway of a new band that is hot on the rise. When you listen to him sing it evokes memories of a time past.

Posted on May 3, 2014

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Dopamine, Twitter, and the bilingual brain

Before I wrote my last blog entry, I got a Twitter account to start tracking reactions to that entry. I was surprised to see that people that I had never met favorited my post. Some even retweeted it.

Posted on March 30, 2014

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Why nobody dreams of being a professor

By now the reactions to Nicholas Kristof's piece at the New York Times are circulating the Internet. There are good arguments in favor and against blaming professors or the public or both. Rather than take one side or the other I thought it would make sense to give a couple of anecdotes that provide insight into this issue.

Posted on February 17, 2014

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What the bilingual brain tells us about language learning

One of the most common questions people ask revolves around when and how to learn a second language. One common view is that earlier is better. There is good evidence for this view. A number of studies have found that the earlier a person learns a second language, the better they perform on a number of tests.

Posted on January 14, 2014

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