What is a language?

Some think math, logic and music are like natural languages, but the brain doesn't treat them as such.

What about constructed languages?

Here is a preprint on what we discovered in @ev_fedorenko ’s lab: tinyurl.com/2p8f8vnp Using fMRI, we tested brain responses to five constructed languages: Esperanto (n=19), Klingon (n=10), Na’vi (n=9), High Valyrian (n=3) and Dothraki (n=3). These languages differ in several ways

Have you ever met someone who speaks 5+ (sometimes several dozen!) languages and wondered how all these languages coexist in their brain?

In @ev_fedorenko’s lab, we've studied the brains of this unique population. Here’s what we found.

Pre-print:
🧵Belowtinyurl.com/2p8kf8vy Work with @OlessiaJour*, @ZachMineroff, TheoCucu, @MayaTaliaferro, @kmahowald, @IbanDlank, @ev_fedorenko

*Co-first author

What makes a word easy to access?

Evidence from monolinguals suggests that word frequency or age of acquisition drive lexical access ease.

But what if you are bilingual?

📝 nature.com/articles/s4159…
🧵Below For bilinguals, it has been suggested that access to a word depends on your overall proficiency in that language first: the more proficient you are in a language as a whole, the easier access is to all words in that language (e.g. Gollan et al, 2008)

Excited that my first work with my wonderful advisor @ev_fedorenko, along with Theo Cucu and @ben_lipkin, is out!

We address six methodological issues in fMRI studies on executive processing in bilinguals. What are these issues and what do we find? 📰 🧵 bit.ly/3jNw361

https://twitter.com/ev_fedorenko/status/1453723353156440084

1. We avoid reverse inference by identifying a brain network (the Multiple Demand, i.e. MD network) at the start
2. We used a neural marker that is stable within individuals and relates to behavioral performance
3. We used functional localizers to avoid interpretative challenges