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PubMed1999

Language-specific knowledge and short-term memory in bilingual and non-bilingual children.

The sensitivity of children's phonological short-term memory performance to language-specific knowledge was investigated in two experiments. In Experiment 1, monolingual English children, English-French bilingual children, and English children who were learning French as a second language were compared on measures of phonological short-term memory and vocabulary in the two languages. The children's short-term memory performance in each language mirrored their familiarity with English and French, with greater vocabulary knowledge being associated with higher levels of recall of both words and nonwords in that language. This finding was replicated in Experiment 2, in which two groups of children with good knowledge of English and French were examined: native bilingual children who had comparable knowledge of the two languages and non-native bilingual children who had a greater knowledge of their native than second language. The findings indicate that phonological short-term memory is not a language-independent system but, rather, functions in a highly language-specific way.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2000

The processing of interlexical homographs in translation recognition and lexical decision: support for non-selective access to bilingual memory.

In three experiments we looked at the processing of interlexical homographs by Dutch-English bilinguals. In Experiment 1 we employed the translation recognition task, a task that forces the participants to activate both language systems simultaneously. In this task the processing of interlexical homographs was inhibited substantially compared to the processing of matched control words, especially when the homograph reading to be selected was the less frequent of the homograph's two readings. In Experiments 2 and 3 we used the lexical decision task: In one condition we asked the participants to categorize letter strings as words or nonwords in Dutch; in a second condition we asked them to do so in English. The makeup of the stimulus set in Experiment 2 permitted the participants to ignore the instructions and to instantiate the task in a language-neutral form--that is, to categorize the letter strings as words in either Dutch or English. Under these circumstances a small, frequency-dependent inhibitory effect for homographs was obtained, but only in condition Dutch. In Experiment 3 the participants were forced in a language-specific processing mode by the inclusion of "nonwords" that were in fact words in the non-target language. Large frequency-dependent inhibitory effects for homographs were now obtained in both language conditions. The combined results are interpreted as support for the view that bilingual lexical access is non-selective.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Ethnic minority community patients and the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative.

OBJECTIVE: To compare general practitioners registered under the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative (BOiMHC) and those not registered, in addressing mental disorders in members of ethnic minority communities (EMCs). METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 597 Melbourne metropolitan general practitioners, leading to 311 meeting criteria for having seen EMC patients with a mental disorder in the last 3 months. Comparisons were made between those registered (n = 61) and those not registered (n = 205) within the BOiMHC on measures of difficulties in: accessing bilingual allied health, accessing interpreters, accessing translated materials, patient compliance, accessing guidelines for working effectively with interpreters, accessing guidelines on cultural and migration factors affecting mental health. RESULTS: Significantly less of those registered in the BOiMHC endorsed problems of access to bilingual allied health, interpreters and translated materials compared with those not registered. No differences between groups were observed in relation to access to guidelines and patient compliance. Those registered with the BOiMHC reported significantly less problems than those not registered. The most prevalent problems of the full sample included lack of access to bilingual allied health (70%), access to translated materials (58%) and low EMC patient compliance with mental health assessment and treatment (64%). CONCLUSIONS: Possible impacts of the BOiMHC appear to be modest in relation to EMC patients with mental disorders. The BOiMHC may require additional strategies for its application to EMCs, especially for patient engagement in mental health assessment and treatment. There is a need for a more comprehensive evaluation of EMC issues within the BOiMHC.

Allied Health Occupations↗
PubMed2005

Acculturative stress and use of the Internet among East Asian international students in the United States.

This study investigated the relationships between acculturative stress of East Asian international students and their use of the Internet, taking into account Internet types (English-language Internet and native-language Internet) and Internet motives. A survey was conducted among 115 East Asian international students who attended a large urban university in the southeastern United States. On average, students used English-language Internet more than native-language Internet. A positive correlation was found between using English-language Internet and English proficiency. The analysis identified three Internet motives: information seeking, relaxation/entertainment, and social utility. Perceived discrimination was a positive predictor of the motives of social utility and relax/entertainment. Fear was a positive predictor of the motive of social utility.

Acculturation↗
PubMed2004

Screening for cognitive impairment among older people in black and minority ethnic groups.

There is a well-documented tendency for cognitive tests to underestimate the abilities of older people in black and minority ethnic groups. This gives rise to a substantially higher risk of mistaken diagnosis of dementia. Reasons include differences in extent or focus of formal education, lack of familiarity with English, lack of literacy in own first language, and culture-specific factors related to individual test items. Attempts to improve the accuracy of screening for these groups have included adaptation of existing tests, including adjustment of cut-points, translation and replacement of culture-specific items. So-called 'culture-free' tests have also been developed, which are less dependent on language, literacy and other skills developed during formal education. Cultural modifications and evidence of cross-cultural performance are summarized here for traditional tests (Mini-Mental State Examination, Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire, Short Orientation-Memory-Concentration Test, Abbreviated Mental Test Score, Clifton Assessment Procedures for the Elderly), and for culture-free tests (Clock Drawing Test, Mini-Cog, 7-minute screening battery, Time and Change Test). The evidence on unadapted traditional tests shows that short ones perform at least as well as longer ones, and are more consistent across cultural and educational groups. Cut-point adjustments have not been universally found successful in improving accuracy, and do not address issues of acceptability. Translated and/or culturally adapted versions exist for a number of tests: it is important to establish cut-points appropriate to the target populations. There are promising results on culture-free tests, which are seen as less threatening and require little language interpretation, but they require further evaluation.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Neurolinguistic and follow-up study of an unusual pattern of recovery from bilingual subcortical aphasia.

We report on the neuropsychological and neurolinguistic features of a bilingual patient, E.M., who presented with an uncommon pattern of aphasic deficit consequent to subcortical lesions mainly involving the left basal ganglia. Not only are reports of bilingual subcortical aphasia rare, but E.M.'s deficit is particularly uncommon for it concerns the most used mother tongue (Venetian) much more than a less practiced second language (standard Italian). In this patient, the linguistic deficit in mother tongue production has been observed in spontaneous speech and in cross language translation tasks, where an asymmetrical paradoxical performance has been revealed. Indeed, unlike neurologically intact subjects, E.M. has more difficulties when translating into her mother tongue than into her second language. Although E.M.'s mother tongue is prevalently an oral language, the asymmetrical translation pattern is similar in written and oral translation tasks, thus ruling out the possibility that the deficit simply reflects differences between written and oral language codes. Finally, another remarkable feature of E.M.'s impairment is its stability over almost 5 years from the stroke. We propose that this unusual type of recovery in E.M. is related to the higher degree of automatization of the first language with respect to the second one. This proposal fits with the role of basal ganglia in automatized motor and cognitive performance.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

The bilingual brain. Proficiency and age of acquisition of the second language.

Functional imaging methods show differences in the pattern of cerebral activation associated with the subject's native language (L1) compared with a second language (L2). In a recent PET investigation on bilingualism we showed that auditory processing of stories in L1 (Italian) engages the temporal lobes and temporoparietal cortex more extensively than L2 (English). However, in that study the Italian subjects learned L2 late and attained a fair, but not an excellent command of this language (low proficiency, late acquisition bilinguals). Thus, the different patterns of activation could be ascribed either to age of acquisition or to proficiency level. In the current study we use a similar paradigm to evaluate the effect of early and late acquisition of L2 in highly proficient bilinguals. We studied a group of Italian-English bilinguals who acquired L2 after the age of 10 years (high proficiency, late acquisition bilinguals) and a group of Spanish-Catalan bilinguals who acquired L2 before the age of 4 years (high proficiency, early acquisition bilinguals). The differing cortical responses we had observed when low proficiency volunteers listened to stories in L1 and L2 were not found in either of the high proficiency groups in this study. Several brain areas, similar to those observed for L1 in low proficiency bilinguals, were activated by L2. These findings suggest that, at least for pairs of L1 and L2 languages that are fairly close, attained proficiency is more important than age of acquisition as a determinant of the cortical representation of L2.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

A functional imaging study of translation and language switching.

The neural systems underlying translation and language switching were investigated using PET. Proficient German-English adult bilinguals were scanned whilst either translating or reading visually presented words in German (L1), English (L2) or alternating L1/L2. We refer to alternating L1/L2 as 'switching'. The results revealed contrasting patterns of activation for translation and switching, suggesting at least partially independent mechanisms. Translation, but not switching, increased activity in the anterior cingulate and subcortical structures whilst decreasing activation in several other temporal and parietal language areas associated with the meaning of words. Translation also increased activation in regions associated with articulation (the anterior insula, cerebellum and supplementary motor area) arguably because the reading response to the stimulus must be inhibited whilst a response in a different language is activated. In contrast, switching the input language resulted in activation of Broca's area and the supramarginal gyri, areas associated with phonological recoding. The results are discussed in terms of the cognitive control of language processes.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Source versus content memory in patients with a unilateral frontal cortex or a temporal lobe excision.

It has been suggested previously that patients with a frontal lobe lesion might have a specific impairment in the retrieval of the source of information despite adequate memory for facts. Patients with an anterior temporal excision are known to have impairments in memory for facts and the question arises as to whether they are also impaired in source memory. The present study compared memory for facts and their source in patients with a unilateral frontal cortical or an anterior temporal excision in a situation in which both types of information were encoded explicitly. Patients with a unilateral frontal cortex or a temporal lobe excision watched videos of a game show and were instructed to attend to both the trivia facts and their source (the identity of the speaker or the relative time of presentation). Patients with a frontal cortex excision were not impaired on either fact or source memory. This was true even when a subgroup of patients with an excision involving the dorsolateral frontal cortex was examined. In contrast, patients with a left temporal lobe excision were impaired in both fact and identity source memory and right temporal lobe patients were impaired in identity source memory. All patients performed similarly to normal controls in temporal source memory. The present results are consistent with the view that source information is part of an associative network of information about an episode and that the medial temporal region is critical for both source and content memory. Furthermore, if source information is encoded explicitly, the frontal cortex does not appear to be necessary for its retrieval. Instead, it is proposed that the frontal cortex plays a metacognitive role in memory retrieval.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Brain imaging of language plasticity in adopted adults: can a second language replace the first?

Do the neural circuits that subserve language acquisition lose plasticity as they become tuned to the maternal language? We tested adult subjects born in Korea and adopted by French families in childhood; they have become fluent in their second language and report no conscious recollection of their native language. In behavioral tests assessing their memory for Korean, we found that they do not perform better than a control group of native French subjects who have never been exposed to Korean. We also used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging to monitor cortical activations while the Korean adoptees and native French listened to sentences spoken in Korean, French and other, unknown, foreign languages. The adopted subjects did not show any specific activations to Korean stimuli relative to unknown languages. The areas activated more by French stimuli than by foreign stimuli were similar in the Korean adoptees and in the French native subjects, but with relatively larger extents of activation in the latter group. We discuss these data in light of the critical period hypothesis for language acquisition.

Adoption↗
PubMed2004

Correlated functional changes of the prefrontal cortex in twins induced by classroom education of second language.

As the neural substrates of second language (L2) acquisition are largely unknown, they may or may not be similar to those of first language (L1) representation. We used functional imaging to examine whether training in the conjugation of English verbs from present to past tense alters brain activations in 13-year-old twins. A novel experimental design contrasted past tense verb identification and verb matching, which were tested in either English (L2) or Japanese (L1). After 2 month classroom training in the past tense using bingo games, the two individuals in each pair exhibited significantly correlated performances. When pre- and post-scanning sessions were compared with each other for L2, the left dorsal inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) exhibited significantly correlated activation increases within each pair of twins and the increases were positively correlated with individual performance improvements. Moreover, the cortical plasticity for L2 acquisition was guided toward the L1 specialization of the left dorsal IFG, in spite of notable differences between L1 and L2 in the students' linguistic knowledge and in their performance in making past tense forms. These findings suggest a cortical mechanism underlying L2 acquisition, which critically depends on shared genetic and environmental factors for each twin in a surprisingly predictive manner.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Group intervention changes brain activity in bilingual language-impaired children.

This investigation assessed the effectiveness of a phonological intervention program on the brain functioning of bilingual Finnish 6- to 7-year-old preschool children diagnosed with specific language impairment (SLI). The intervention program was implemented by preschool teachers to small groups of children including children with SLI. A matched group of other bilingual children with SLI received a physical exercise program and served as a control group. Auditory evoked magnetic fields were measured before and after the intervention with an oddball paradigm. The brain activity recordings were followed by a behavioral discrimination test. Our results show that, in children with SLI, the positive intervention effect is reflected in plastic changes in the brain activity of the left and right auditory cortices.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2006

Anatomical correlates of foreign speech sound production.

Previous work has shown a relationship between brain anatomy and how quickly adults learn to perceive foreign speech sounds. Faster learners have greater asymmetry (left>right) in parietal lobe white matter (WM) volumes and larger WM volumes of left Heschl's gyrus than slower learners. Here, we tested native French speakers who were previously scanned using high-resolution anatomical magnetic resonance imaging. We asked them to pronounce a Persian consonant that does not exist in French but which can easily be distinguished from French speech sounds, the voiced uvular stop. Two judges scored the goodness of the utterances. Voxel-based morphometry revealed that individuals who more accurately pronounce the foreign sound have higher WM density in the left insula/prefrontal cortex and in the inferior parietal cortices bilaterally compared with poorer producers. Results suggest that WM anatomy in brain regions previously implicated in articulation and phonological working memory, or the size/shape of these or adjacent regions, is in part predictive of the accuracy of speech sound pronunciation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Visual cortex activation in bilingual blind individuals during use of native and second language.

Recent neuroimaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation studies indicate that the occipital cortex of congenitally blind humans is functionally relevant for nonvisual tasks. There are suggestions that the underlying cortical reorganization is restricted by a critical period. These results were based on comparison between early and late blind groups, thereby facing the problem of great variability among individuals within each group. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we studied bilingual congenitally blind individuals during use of 2 languages: one acquired early (Hebrew), the other later in life (English, at approximately 10 years). The subjects listened to chimeric words consisting of superimposed Hebrew and English nouns. They were instructed to either covertly generate a verb to the heard noun or repeat the noun, in either Hebrew or English. Lateralized activation during verb generation (vs. repeat) was found in classical language areas, in congruence with previous studies in sighted subjects. Critically, in our study, the blind participants typically also had robust left lateralized occipital differential activation during verb generation (vs. repeat), in both languages. This suggests that the critical period for plasticity persists beyond 10 years or that the visual cortex of the blind might be engaged in abstract levels of language processing, common to the 2 languages.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2004

Linguistic diversity in a deaf prison population: implications for due process.

The entire deaf prison population in the state of Texas formed the basis for this research. The linguistic skills of prison inmates were assessed using the following measures: (1) Kannapell's categories of bilingualism, (2) adaptation of the diagnostic criteria for Primitive Personality Disorder, (3) reading scores on the Test of Adult Basic Education, and (4) an evaluation of sign language use and skills by a certified sign language interpreter who had worked with deaf inmates for the past 17 years. Deaf inmates with reading scores below the federal standard for literacy (grade level 2.9) were the group most likely to demonstrate linguistic incompetence to stand trial, meaning that they probably lacked the ability to understand the charges against them and/or were unable to participate in their own defenses. Based on the language abilities and reading scores of this population, up to 50% of deaf state prison inmates may not have received due process throughout their arrest and adjudication. Despite their adjudicative and/or linguistic incompetence, these individuals were convicted in many cases, possibly violating their constitutional rights and their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Deafness↗
PubMed2004

Accessing university education: perceptions, preferences, and expectations for interpreting by deaf students.

This paper provides a brief review of the history of deaf education in Australia, Australian Sign Language (Auslan), and Auslan interpreting. A panel of Australian deaf university students from diverse linguistic and educational backgrounds provides insights into their perceptions of sign language interpreting provision in university lectures. They commented on their interpreting preferences after viewing two videotaped segments of university lecture interpretation, one demonstrating a predominantly free approach and the other a predominantly literal approach. Expectations of the deaf students were explored in relation to the educational backgrounds and qualifications of university interpreters; comprehension of interpreters is also discussed. Results suggest that the university students preferred interpreters to combine both interpretation styles, switching between literal and free approaches when appropriate. In doing so, students can access lecture content in Auslan while accessing subject-specific terminology or academic language in English. In terms of qualifications, the students advocated for interpreters to have a university qualification in general, especially if they are working in a university context. However, the students also acknowledged that interpreting did not provide them with full access in educational settings.

Australia↗