Verbal Memories & Bilingualism

Bilinguals commonly switch between their languages when speaking with other bilinguals. They also have a remarkable ability to speak in only one language when necessary, without accidentally switching to the other language. How does the brain allow bilinguals to keep their languages separate and also fluidly switch between them? How does the bilingual brain respond when a language switch occurs? In this Pint of Science talk, we will discuss fascinating current scientific research on how bilinguals flexibly use each of their languages in different situations.

We use our languages every day, for speaking, reading, writing, and thinking. For brain and language researchers, one key question is `where in our brains are our languages?' or, to phrase the question another way, `how do our brains store our memory for language?´ Another key question is, `what are the neural circuits that connect our language areas?´ We have some partial answers to these questions, yet many aspects remain uncertain. This talk will provide a brief overview of what we know, what we don´t know, and how we are looking for answers.