Effects of Biliteracies on Bilingual Cognitive Functions

Abstract

Studies have shown that speaking two or more languages may have a positive effect on non-language areas of the brain. The main effects include bilinguals showing better results on tasks related to executive control; which are skills needed to successfully select and monitor behaviour in order to achieve a specific goal. The thesis compares bilinguals who use the same scripts in both languages with bilinguals who know and consistently use languages with two different writing systems. Our bilingual groups main comparison are bilinguals who consistently speak English and either Maltese or Arabic. Similar to English, Maltese uses the Latin script, while Arabic uses its own. Maltese has the added advantage of sharing a wide range of vocabulary and grammar with Arabic. Therefore comparing the groups will help show us whether bilinguals who use languages with two writing systems show different results on tasks related to executive control, as opposed to bilinguals who only know one writing system. Our research examines this point from three different angles. Study I examines the differences in performance between the English/Maltese bilinguals and the English/Arabic bilinguals on tasks related to executive control such as; inhibition and switching. The second study compares their performance focusing on their ability to rotate objects mentally. Study III focuses on the differences in processing morphological markers, such as past tense ‘ed’, between the groups in all three languages. The comparison of the groups on these three aspects showed that while no effects were found for those who knew more than one script, specific script effects were found. Different languages therefore show varying effects on executive control, mental rotation and in processing morphological markers.