Brain plasticity in language acquisition

Ivett Caro
General Linguistics
March 17th, 2011
Brain Plasticity in Language Acquisition
It is known that language acquisition process occurs since we are not born speaking. In fact,specialists on the area have proven that communication skills are developed as a result of our brain cells connections. That is, these cells have a synaptic contact in which information from the environment istransmitted. This input is generated through external stimuli that build networks in our brain. According to some scientists, this set of connections allows brain development by increasing its“plasticity”, which means the ability to change throughout the time. Hence, brain plasticity in children is essential in first language acquisition for three reasons:
The first reason relies on thefact that childhood is the stage in which millions of brain cells appear to form massive information wires. Scientists discovered that brain development depends on the number of cells it has. However,lots of them die if they are not in touch with external stimuli; that is the reason why a child must be stimulated. A suitable example could be seen when parents start talking to their children sincefetal period, and the fetal brain develops sensorial structures. Brain plasticity not only lets the brain work all areas such as language, physical movements and intelligence; but also, in case ofinjury, it has the flexibility to use indistinctively both brain hemispheres. For example, if a child suffers damage on the left side of the brain, he or she will be able to use the right side to acquirea language.
The second reason is related to learning experiences perceived through the senses. In childhood, to acquire a first language, good stimulation is needed. In effect, parental interventionis one of the most important sources of this stimulus. For instance, parents ought to talk to their children so that they can develop their speaking skills. Furthermore, experts believe that...