The role of neuroscience in the learning of a foreign language

Abstract

In the literature of recent years much has been written about a deeper knowledgeof the brain and its functioning with regard to the processes of learning a foreignlanguage. Glottodidactics, as a science of language education, attentively follows theprogress of neuroscience, pointing out the importance this progress has in the process oflearning foreign languages. The advancement of progress in neuroscience encourages thedrafting of efficient theories and models of language education. The today results in theneurolinguistics field inform on the existence of a network of four main neurofunctionalschemes. These neurofunctional schemes during the learning of the mother tongue arespecialized in realizing certain language processes. Whereas, the learning of a foreignlanguage causes the creation of neural sub-systems, within each of these neurofunctionalschemes. Another second hypothesis is that on the functioning of bi-lingual schemes,that is the interaction of language sub-systems which operate in the bilingual brain. (ormultilingual).Both the existence of neuro-functional special schemes, but with a constantinteraction, and the neurolinguistics hypothesis about their functioning lead to theformulation of some main glottodidactics theories. As a conclusion we can say that thedevelopment of language competence comes through the real use of the language. Themetalinguistic and pragmatic competences are strategically activated and the affective andemotional dimension of the language learning is of primary importance.