Running head: THE ROLE OF THE BRAIN IN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

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The Role of the Brain in Language Development

Sally Student
Anne Arundel Community College

THE ROLE OF THE BRAIN IN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

The introduction
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topic/issue/
problem that the
paper addresses

Introduction

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It has long been known that the brain plays a large role in language development;

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however, the amount of research in this field has increased exponentially over the In
past

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years giving way to the creation of the new field of research cognitive neuroscience
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(Ansari, 2008). More and more studies are revealing the intricate relationship between
brain
your cursor in front of the
2 and type your Running
development and literacy as children progress into their socio-cultural environments.
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research have supported that positive reinforcements are directly related to the success

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person.
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childs brain and overall behavioral development (Mann, 1999). Understanding the correlation
between the brain and language development can give insight to the critical periods in a childs
life when the brain is biologically best equipped to learn language (Fleming, 2002).
Brain Growth and Development
The human brain is hard-wired for language. Babies are born with 100 billion

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citing sources.
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include the
brain
cells
names
of all
authors.

and over 50,000 nerve pathways that can carry sounds from the human voice from the ears to the
brain (Owens, 2000; Shiver, 2000). There are critical periods during a childs life when the brain
is active in forming connections for specific skills, language being one of these. Brain research
clearly indicates that if language development is not encouraged and cultivated during these
crucial times it can be greatly impaired. Furthermore, if a child hears little or no human sound,
the brain will eventually retire these cells from this function and give these cells a different
function (Fleming, 2002). While it appears this window of opportunity may have closed
completely, not all hope is lost. Skills can still be learned, but with greater time and effort.

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The brain is constantly growing and making microscopic connections (Owens, 2000, p.
111). This is why positive external stimulations to children during specific critical periods of
their lives are of utmost importance. One of the first windows of opportunity for

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THE ROLE OF THE BRAIN IN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

occurs within the first six months of a childs life. During this time the child begins to recognize
the patterns of sound in their own language (Shiver, 2000). While children are born with
the
Cite author here:
When summarizing

capability of learning all languages, if they have not been exposed to a certain languageresearch,
by six give the

name of the author(s)

after the first sentence
months of age it will be difficult for them to recognize sounds not in their now native tongue
rather than at the end
of the paragraph.
(Shiver, 2000). Between 24 and 35 months of age the brain begins to form mental symbols
for needs to
Your reader
know your source as
soon as you begin
people and objects. As a result, the child grows the ability to use many more words and
discussing it, not after
the fact
construct short sentences (Shiver, 2000).

Another study that scanned brain activity of children revealed that between the ages of
four and twelve an enormous amount of brain restructuring takes place (Fleming, 2002). During
this time, the brain decides whether to keep or eliminate connections. If the child has received
rich, sensory stimulations, a surge of learning takes place. On the other side, if little
Not here.

encouragement has taken place, the connections are lost or re-wired for another task.
Regular double space
Brain Physiology and Reading
the entire way through
the paper. There
To better understand the role of the brain in language development, it is important
should not be any
extra spaces before or
after paragraphs.
become familiar with its pattern of growth, structure, and detailed functions. A delay or

to

abnormality in the rate and extent of brain maturation can have a significant effect on language
development (Paterson, 2006). For example, from birth to one year, myelination will progress

Cite more than

one source when
from the base of the brain all the way up to the frontal, parietal and occipital lobes. Thesummarizing the
same idea from
formation of certain cognitive abilities can be correlated to the degree and rate in which multiple
this sources

progression occurs (Paterson, 2006; Szaflarski, 2006). It has also long been known that the left
hemisphere is the side of the brain mostly responsible for language development (Owens, 2000).
However, advances in research have given us greater insight to specific brain activities during
language processing (Hoeft, 2007). For example, studies have shown that specific areas of the

THE ROLE OF THE BRAIN IN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

brain are activated when both children and adults read. People with dyslexia and other reading
difficulties show abnormal activation in these same brain regions (Ansari, 2008). Other studies
have linked more specific language abilities to certain areas of the brain. For example, the ability
to make consonant-vowel contrasts and other phonetic processes is controlled by the temporal
cortex. Moreover, rapid auditory processing, shown to have a great impact on later language,
takes place in the left prefrontal regions (Paterson, 2006). Finally, Brocas area is involved with
the actual production of the language (Owens, 2000).
Conclusion

The conclusion restates

the topic/issue/ problem
and offers suggestions for
further research

There is no question the brain plays a considerable role in the successful development of
language. There are critical periods during a childs life when windows are open for the brain to
make necessary growths and connections. Failure to provide a child with positive stimulation
during these periods can result in language impairment (Fleming, 2002; Shiver, 2000).
Additional studies have shown that as different processes are learned, changes in the structure of
these brain regions are observed (Owens, 2000; Paterson, 2006). However, when these brain
regions stop being utilized, the increased brain volumes decrease back towards its pre-learning
size (Ansari, 2008). On an optimistic note, studies have demonstrated that the brain remains
changeable and adapts itself to the particular demands set by the individuals environment
(Ansari, 2008; Szaflarski, 2006). As long as the brain is functioning properly, learning can
always take place.

THE ROLE OF THE BRAIN IN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

References
Ansari, D. (2008). The brain goes to school: Strengthening the education-neuroscience
connection. Education Canada, 48(4), 6-10.
Fleming, B. (2002, October 3). Brain keys language development. Ames Tribune. Retrieved
from: http://www.nncc.org/Release/brain.html
Hoeft, F., Meyler, A., Glover, G.H., Kobayashi, N., Mazaika, P., Jo, B., Ueno, T.,
Reiss, A.L., Whitfield-Gabrieli, S., Keller, T., Just, M.A., & Gabrieli, J.D. (2007).
Prediction of childrens reading skills using behavioral, functional, and structural
neuroimaging measures. Behavioral Neuroscience, 121(3), 602-613.
Mann, J. (1999, September 17). For parents of young students, an education. The Washington
Post, C10.
Owen, R. (2000). Language development. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Paterson, S.J., Heim, S., Friedman, J.T., Choudhury, N., & Benasich, A.A. (2006). Development
of structure and function in the infant brain: Implications for cognition, language and
social behaviour. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 30(8), 1087-1105.
Shiver, E., (2000). Brain development and mastery of language in the young years. Retrieved
from: http://www.parentinginformation.org
Szaflarski, J.P., Schmithorst, V.J., Altaye, M., Byars, A.W., Ret, J., Plante, E., & Holland, S.K.
(2006). A longitudinal fMRI study of language development in children age 5-11. Annals
of Neurology, 59(5), 796-807.
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