Jun 15, 2026 08:39 PM
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1131132
INTRO: It’s not uncommon for bilingual speakers to mistakenly apply the grammatical rules of one language while speaking the other—for example, saying “I have 20 years” instead of “I am 20” when asked about their age.
Some may wonder if these language mashups are evidence of deeper neurological distinctions among languages: If you speak English and Spanish, for instance, do you have an English “grammatical engine” that learns and applies English rules and a Spanish one that learns and applies Spanish rules?
A new study by a team of New York University scientists finds that, in fact, bilingualism is not powered by separate grammar engines in the brain, but, rather, by a common neural system that works across languages... (MORE - no ads)
INTRO: It’s not uncommon for bilingual speakers to mistakenly apply the grammatical rules of one language while speaking the other—for example, saying “I have 20 years” instead of “I am 20” when asked about their age.
Some may wonder if these language mashups are evidence of deeper neurological distinctions among languages: If you speak English and Spanish, for instance, do you have an English “grammatical engine” that learns and applies English rules and a Spanish one that learns and applies Spanish rules?
A new study by a team of New York University scientists finds that, in fact, bilingualism is not powered by separate grammar engines in the brain, but, rather, by a common neural system that works across languages... (MORE - no ads)