Researchers Tackle Universal Grammar
In their new book The Language Game, cognitive scientists Morten H. Christiansen and Nick Chater set out to identify the origins of human language—and the pair’s findings deviate from the traditionally accepted schools of...
Potential Genetic Factor in Specific Language Impairment
A team of researchers at the University of Kansas has identified a possible genetic factor underlying specific language impairment (SLI), a communication disorder whose cause has long stumped researchers. SLI typically entails delayed language...
English Learners Slide More During Summer
For many students—particularly those that are historically underserved—the summer break from learning perpetuates inequitable achievement gaps, according to an overview of current research studies...
Naps May Boost Early Literacy
The ability to map letters to sounds is considered an important indicator of early literacy skills. Previous research shows that letter sound mappings in kindergarten is...
New National Effort to Address Effective Literacy for Multilingual Learners
Researchers, educators, teachers, administrators, school board members, and advocates with expertise in literacy and the education of English learner/emergent bilingual students have come together to form the National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL), with...
Increasing Space Between Letters Could Help Dyslexic Readers
A study recently published in Research in Developmental Disabilities has shown that dyslexic children may be able to improve their reading speed with increased spacing in between the letters printed on the page.
The...
Bilingual Ed Boosts English Writing
A first-of-its-kind study from the University of Kansas (KU), examining three key cognitive functions and their role in learning to write, suggests that insufficient focus on bilingual education has hindered the progress of Hispanic...
We’re Naturally Bilingual
Neuroscientists at New York University have discovered that the brain uses a shared mechanism for combining words from a single language and for combining words from two different languages, which indicates that language switching...
Fun Language Apps Boost Senior Brain Function
Bilingualism has been linked to improved executive function and delayed onset of dementia, but it is unknown whether similar benefits can be obtained later in life through deliberate intervention. Given the logistical hurdles of...
Sounds and Words Processed Separately but Simultaneously
After years of research, neuroscientists have discovered a new pathway in the human brain that processes the sounds of language. The findings, reported last month in the journal Cell, suggest that auditory and speech...