Two languages in one mind: Insights into cognitive effects of bilingualism from usage-based approaches
Two languages in one mind: Insights into cognitive effects of bilingualism from usage-based approaches

Summary/Abstract: Bilingualism has been associated with changes in our language-related and domain-general cognition. However, it remains controversial whether bilingualism-related cognitive effects are robust and stable. Also, it is still unclear which aspects of bilingual experiences affect the plasticity of cognitive processes. This article offers a selective overview of the literature on bilingualism and cognition. We discuss results from studies which investigated the sources of cognitive plasticity in bilinguals, using prominent bilingual factors. We argue that, at least in part, the field deals with the controversies by viewing bilingualism through the perspective of usage-based (or experience-based) approaches, although such a link is not always made explicitly. Viewing bilingual variables as indicators of language use and engagement with both languages might offer promising ways forward while allowing for comparisons of existing studies on bilingualism with more recent ones, which build on the usage-based perspective more explicitly.

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