The Fascinating World of Language and Math in Bilingual Minds

Why Do Bilingual Brains Prefer Math in Their Mother Tongue

In the vast universe of my mind, English rules, carving out beautiful phrases and clear reasons.

But there is one strange thing: in this small area, mathematics dances to the beat of Polish, my mother tongue.

There is a puzzle inside a puzzle within a puzzle: why do numbers and equations like to waltz in Polish when English is the language of thought?

With some neuroscience and a bit of debate, let's look into this brain puzzle.

Switching between languages for certain jobs isn't just a quirk of people who speak more than one language; it's an interesting look into how our brains work. According to neuroscience, the parts of our brains that handle language and math are located in different areas. The parts of the brain that handle language are mostly in the left hemisphere for right-handed people, and they are close to the parts that handle math. Even though they live close to each other, that doesn't mean they speak the same language.

But why math in Polish? The answer might lie in the idea of cognitive fluency, which means how quickly and easily our brains handle information. As a child, the first time I learned about numbers, the first time I fought with addition and subtraction, and the first time I beat the multiplication tables were all in Polish. These early experiences built the brain pathways that make Polish the natural way to think about math. It's like staying with your first love in the brain—a bond formed in the fires of learning a language as a child that can't be broken even if you learn another language later.

"But isn't English the language of your thoughts?" you might ask. The way you see and understand the world?" Yes, it is. My brain, on the other hand, goes back to its old ways when it comes to math. When someone is angry or scared, they might switch back to their original language. But in this case, it's not anger or fear that wakes up the mother tongue; it's the beautiful ballet of algebra.

Neuroscience sheds light on this phenomenon by showing that bilingual brains manage two or more language systems in a way that is similar to how a skilled director runs a symphony orchestra. This complex network serves as a path for all decisions, from the easiest math problem to the most complicated thought. The brain doesn't separate languages into separate areas. Instead, both languages live together and constantly affect and shape each other. The detailed review by Kroll and colleagues in the "Annual Review of Linguistics" (2015) shows this dynamic interaction, which emphasizes a key idea: being bilingual changes the structure of the brain, creating a unique cognitive flexibility.

Why, then, stick to Polish for numbers when English rules every other area of thought? The idea of cognitive fluency and emotional connection holds the key to the answer. When someone learns their first math, it often gets ingrained in their brain in the same way that their first language does. This basic education sets up a default language model for mathematical thinking. For this example, Polish isn't just a language; it's a cognitive scaffold that helps with mathematical thought by making it easier to understand numbers.

This division of language work in my brain shows how flexible and specialized our cognitive processes are. It shows that the brain can separate and improve tasks based on many things, such as emotional connection, early learning events, and mental flexibility. This is proof of the brain's complex structure and amazing ability to work in complex ways.

But let's stir things up a little more. There are people who might say that sticking to your mother tongue for certain mental jobs is a form of intellectual laziness and that you shouldn't fully immerse yourself in the language skills of the second language. I'd like to tell them that this isn't laziness, but a more advanced form of brain economy. The brain is picking the fastest path, saving mental energy for jobs where knowing a second language clearly gives a clear advantage.

A recent study suggests a much more complex and dynamic way of thinking about the bilingual brain than the simple idea of it being a collection of separate linguistic systems. People who speak two languages constantly balance and mix them, which improves their cognitive and executive functions. This constant mental gymnastics doesn't just help with two languages; it changes the way the brain works so that it can handle the complex needs of multilingual navigation better.

So, the next time an English math problem pops into my head and I translate it instantly into Polish, I'll take a moment to admire how complicated and beautifully unique my brain is. It's a brain that won't give up its roots; it does math with the heart of a Pole while navigating the world in English.

It's interesting to see how words, thought, and identity interact in "The Dance of Numbers." It shows the brain's complex ways of handling information, how dedicated it is to early learning, and how it can do complex, specialized tasks. In the big picture, this strange language preference shows how rich the human cognitive experience is; it's a celebration of how complicated and flexible our brains are. Let's be proud of the weird things about the way we think—they're an important part of what makes us unique.

References:

Kroll, J. F., Dussias, P. E., Bice, K., & Perrotti, L. (2015). Bilingualism, Mind, and Brain. Annual Review of Linguistics, 1, 377-394.