The Neural Advantage of Speaking 2 Languages – Bilingual people process certain words faster than others

The ability to speak a second language isn’t the only thing that distinguishes bilingual people from their monolingual counterparts—their brains work differently, too. Research has shown, for instance, that children who know two languages more easily solve problems that involve misleading cues. A new study published in Psychological Science reveals that knowledge of a second language—even one learned in adolescence—affects how people read in their native tongue. The findings suggest that after learning a second language, people never look at words the same way again.

By Melinda Wenner

Full Story: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bilingual-brains

(Many thanks to Kemble Fletcher for passing this along.)