ABA Journal Impara l'inglese in modo naturale
L’articolo tratto da BBC News che ti proponiamo di seguito sostiene che l’apprendimento di una seconda lingua rallenti l’invecchiamento del nostro cervello. Non è fantastico? Ed è un buon motivo per imparare sempre più lingue!
Continua a leggere se vuoi saperne di più! Per le parole più difficili potrai fare riferimento al vocabolario alla fine del testo.
Learning second language ‘slows brain ageing’
Learning a second language can have a positive effect on the brain, even if it is taken up in adulthood, a University of Edinburgh study suggests. Researchers found that reading, verbal fluency and intelligence were improved in a study of 262 people tested either aged 11 or in their seventies.
A previous study suggested that being bilingual could delay the onset of dementia by several years.
“Millions of people around the world acquire their second language later in life. Our study shows that bilingualism, even when acquired in adulthood, may benefit the ageing brain”, said Dr Thomas Bak from the University of Edinburgh.
Using data from intelligence tests on 262 Edinburgh-born individuals at the age of 11, the study looked at how their cognitive abilities had changed when they were tested again in their seventies. All participants said they were able to communicate in at least one language other than English. Of that group, 195 learned the second language before the age of 18, and 65 learned it after that time.
The findings indicate that those who spoke two or more languages had significantly better cognitive abilities compared to what would have been expected from their baseline test. The strongest effects were seen in general intelligence and reading. The effects were present in those who learned their second language early, as well as later in life.
Dr Bak said the pattern they found was “meaningful” and the improvements in attention, focus and fluency could not be explained by original intelligence.
“These findings are of considerable practical relevance. Millions of people around the world acquire their second language later in life. Our study shows that bilingualism, even when acquired in adulthood, may benefit the ageing brain”, he added.
Vocabolario
Take up – iniziare a, darsi a
Fluency – scioltezza, fluidità
Previous – precedente
Delay – ritardo
Onset – inizio, principio
Dementia – demenza (malattia mentale che impedisce ad un individuo di pensare in modo chiaro o di distinguere ciò che è reale da cioò che non lo è)
Acquire – acquisire, ottenere, procurarsi
Findings – risultati, conclusioni, scoperte (di un’indagine, studio o ricerca)
Indicate – indicare, significare
Baseline – punto di riferimento, base
Pattern – schema, modello
Meaningful – significativo
Considerable – considerevole, notevole
Relevance – pertinenza, attinenza
Benefit – beneficio, vantaggio
Come puoi vedere, non è mai troppo tardi per imparare a parlare più di una lingua, che oltretutto offre molti vantaggi. Se vuoi iniziare a studiare l’inglese, prova il nostro corso, gratis.
