Canadian scientists find that bilingualism can protect against dementia
The bilingualism of many South Africans could save them from dementia. Canadian scientists have found that bilingual people can save brainpower and complete tasks without using brain frontal brain, which are vulnerable to ageing. Many people in Canada speak French and English. "After years of daily practice managing interference between two languages‚ bilinguals become experts at selecting relevant information and ignoring information that can distract from a task‚" said Ana Inés Ansaldo‚ a professor at the University of Montreal. Monolingual brains are not so lucky. People who can speak and understand only one language require the use of multiple brain regions to complete tasks‚ making them less able to stave off dementia. "Bilinguals juggle two languages at a time which requires more effort from the brain‚" said Professor Emanuel Bylund‚ a lecturer in linguistics at Stellenbosch University. "You have to constantly suppress one language so that it doesn’t come out when you’re using...
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