Throughout the semester, various linguistic topics and fields have been mentioned, ranging from neurolinguistics to sociolinguistics. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of linguistics (to me, at least) is the role that language plays in the brain – neurolinguistics. From the apparent critical period of language, most supported by the case of Genie, to how one can have their speech production severely handicapped if Broca’s area in the left hemisphere is damaged, the effects that changes to the brain can have on language (and the reverse – the effects that language can have on the brain) are wide-ranging and potentially not fully explored. As such, if I were given license to be a linguist, my focus would be on neurolinguistics; specifically, …show more content…
Therefore, bimodal bilingualism is being fluent in two languages that are communicated in separate modes. The goal of this project is to record any notable differences between performances of cognitive tests by unimodal bilinguals and bimodal bilinguals. As the question requires an experiment to answer, I will explain the details of the experiment, as well as research that has already been done on bimodal bilinguals (provided that there are substantial amounts of articles on the topic that don’t require …show more content…
While it may be time consuming, this would allow for more careful observation of the participants while they were being tested. Each participant’s testing session would be administered by one to two proctors, depending on the participant: monolingual participants would have a single proctor fluent in their language, and unimodal and bimodal bilingual participants would have two proctors fluent in both of their languages (one proctor for each language). Each testing session would be recorded with two cameras from different angles, each recording any screens involved and all participants, including proctors. The series of tests for each participant group would be identical. The testing would be begin with a very brief interview of the participant, in which they would be asked how frequently they use their language(s) and in what domain(s). This is simply to record some potential unknown factors that could affect performances of participants. After each test, the participant will be asked what the least and most challenging aspects of the test