Chapter 1
The neural construction zone
Chapter 2
Tuning your ears to the world
Chapter 3
The science of micro-habits
Chapter 4
The bilingual superpower
Ch 1 · The neural construction zone
duolingo Studying Arabic and Dari for three months triggered measurable growth in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of Swedish military recruits.
Quiz
What is the term for the brain's ability to physically reorganize and grow in response to learning, as seen in language students?
Quiz
In the 2012 Lund University study, which brain structure showed physical growth after recruits studied intense languages for three months?
duolingo Neural pathways in the left hemisphere connect speech and understanding to build fluency.
Quiz
What is the primary function of Wernicke's area, which is located in the left temporal lobe of the brain?
Quiz
Which area of the brain, discovered in 1861, is primarily responsible for the physical production and articulation of speech?
Fun Fact
Brain growth: Swedish military recruits studying languages grew their hippocampi by up to eight percent in just three months.
Quiz
Which brain structures are heavily involved in procedural memory to process complex grammatical rules?
Quiz
Which memory system is primarily used by the brain to store and retrieve individual vocabulary words?
Glossary
neuroplasticity (noun)
The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Neuroscientist Thomas Bak compared language acquisition to a full brain workout that physically alters synaptic pathways.
The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Neuroscientist Thomas Bak compared language acquisition to a full brain workout that physically alters synaptic pathways.
duolingo Silent Speech
Your silent voice, your silent voice, fires up the same pathways, your silent voice.
Quiz
Which brain region is activated during silent reading to plan the physical muscle movements of speech?
Quiz
What physical action is the brain simulating when a language learner reads silently or thinks in a new language?