Lecture
How does multilingualism shape the brain?
- Date
- Thursday 29 October 2026
- Time
- Address
-
Lipsius
Cleveringaplaats 1
2311 BD Leiden - Room
- 0.05
Abstract
Speaking multiple languages is one of the most common, and perhaps most complex, forms of lifelong learning. Yet, we still know surprisingly little about how multilingual experience shapes the human brain. One reason is methodological: multilingualism is far more complex than simply counting the number of languages a person speaks. In this talk, I will introduce a new framework for quantifying multilingual experience that captures the typological relationships between languages, rather than treating all language combinations as equivalent.
I will then present findings from two studies demonstrating that multilingual experience leaves measurable signatures in both brain function and brain structure. Finally, I will discuss a new line of research that leverages multilingualism as a natural experiment to investigate how environmental experience may influence human brain development even before birth. Together, these findings illustrate how studying multilinguals can reveal fundamental principles of brain plasticity across the lifespan.