The effects of learning foreign languages in different stages of adulthood

Identifier:  TFG:7423

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TFG7423

Authors:  Cobler Andreu, Judith

Abstract:
This thesis aims to examine the effects that learning foreign languages has on the lifespan, with a particular focus on adulthood and its different stages. It begins reviewing multiple areas related to language learning, brain development, structure and function, bilingualism, multilingualism, and some methods to measure changes in the brain. For the purpose of this study, two cognitive scientists were interviewed through Microsoft Teams, and their answers were used in order to prove or disprove the hypothesis. Furthermore, the results not only show the interpretation but also how it applies to the theoretical section. This study exhibits how people in late adulthood can achieve native-like proficiency when learning languages. It also states the importance of being aware of the benefits of learning languages since it would mean the promotion of healthy cognitive aging and the delay of neurological diseases that are common in late adulthood due to a deficit in brain training.