Neurolinguistics

Neurolinguistics is the branch of linguistics which studies the relationship between language and the brain, especially the parts which control language comprehension, acquisition, and production. This interdisciplinary field is associated with neuropsychology, cognitive science, linguistics, communication disorders, and neuroscience. This study is rooted in aphasiology which looks into language deficits due to brain damage.

For instance, Wernicke’s aphasia, the difficulty in understanding spoken and written language, is due to a damage in the Wernicke’s area, the region in the temporal lobe. Current research in neurolinguistics has shown that bilingual individuals tend to cultivate better cultural awareness and develop more thinking skills. Also, multilinguals tend to be more resistant to dementia and perform better in tests.