Meet Bilingualism Matters at the Edinburgh Cafe Scientifique

Antonella Sorace will give a talk at the Edinburgh Cafe Scientifique on Monday 13 May. The talk will be held in the Filmhouse Cinema Café Bar on 88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9BZ and starts at 8:30pm. Read the abstract of Antonella’s talk below.

Is bilingualism good or bad for you?

Research has shown that bilingualism (broadly intended as fluency in more than one language) brings a range of linguistic and cognitive benefits that go far beyond knowledge of two languages and extend to the whole lifespan. Compared to monolinguals, both child and adult bilinguals have better spontaneous understanding of language structure, more effective selective attention, and greater mental flexibility. However, many people still think that bilingualism, especially in children, is a disadvantage. Antonella will talk about the most popular myths about bilingualism and how they are contradicted by research. Antonella will also discuss the importance of disseminating information about how the bilingual brain works.