Bilingual Babies' Vocabulary Linked to Early Brain Differentiation

From http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110829070559.htm

Bilingual Babies' Vocabulary Linked to Early Brain Differentiation
August 29, 2011

Researchers at the University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences are investigating the brain mechanisms that contribute to infants' prowess at learning languages, with the hope that the findings could boost bilingualism in adults, too.

In a new study, the researchers report that the brains of babies raised in bilingual households show a longer period of being flexible to different languages, especially if they hear a lot of language at home. The researchers also show that the relative amount of each language -- English and Spanish -- babies were exposed to affected their vocabulary as toddlers.

The study, published online Aug. 17 in Journal of Phonetics, is the first to measure brain activity throughout infancy and relate it to language exposure and speaking ability.

Read the full article at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110829070559.htm