Brain Correlates of Phonetic Foreign Language Talent

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Hermann Ackermann; Professor Dr. Grzegorz Dogil (†)
• Subject Area: Human Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience
• Term: from 2006 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 16628326

The present project aims at the investigation of ¿The Cognitive Neuroscience of Foreign Language Pronunciation Talent¿, intending to find the neural correlates of foreign language pronunciation talent, with the far-reaching aim to contribute to our understanding of the neurobiological basis of language and language learning abilities. It is a commonplace observation that people differ in their aptitude, capacity, success and speed of foreign language acquisition. Especially the phonetic-articulatory aspect seems to be a specific subskill for which separate neural substrates have been assumed. So far, only very few neuroimaging studies specifically investigated general language talent, showing structural anatomical and functional differences between generally more and less talented/ successful second language learners. Apart from these few studies examining general language talent, no study so far investigated phonetic language learning ability (pronunciation talent). Within the literature on high versus low proficiency bilinguals, studies investigating correlations between second language proficiency level and brain activation often found more activation (in intensity and / or extent) correlating with lower proficiency level and the reverse patterns for higher second language (L2) proficiency. Research examining language production regardless of the proficiency level or linguistic talent, has elucidated particular left putaminal engagement during second language articulation (Klein 1994) and repeatedly basal ganglia and left insular involvement in native language articulation. On the basis of these prior studies and previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of our research groups (Ackermann, Dogil, Grodd, Riecker, Hertrich, Mathiak) on articulation and language production in normal and neurologically impaired populations, we elaborated the following research questions and hypotheses to be examined by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG).

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Professor Dr. Wolfgang Grodd