A distinguished colleague tells the story of her father, who immigrated to
the U.S. from Holland at age 32, and functioned well in English for three
decades at home and in his business as an insurance broker. Despite these
years of fluency in two languages, he lost the ability to communicate in
English (but not Dutch) during hospitalization for a stroke at the age of
63. Reports like the one above are common in the aphasia literature and are
interpreted by some to indicate that two languages are represented in
different areas of the brain. However, evidence from newer methodologies
suggest that both languages are represented in overlapping areas of the
brain. Our research along with that of others suggests that neural activity
can be overlapping and not depending on a number of factors, including when
a language is learned and how well it is spoken. It is in understanding how
these factors interact and shape the bilingual brain that is the focus of
our research.
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