Linguistic Equivalence: Esperanto and Klingon Indistinguishable to the Brain as English or Mandarin
MIT Study Uncovers Brain's Response to Invented Languages
MIT researchers have discovered that the human brain's network for processing language reacts to entirely constructed languages, such as Esperanto and fictional languages from television shows like "Star Trek" and "Game of Thrones." The study, published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that the defining feature of languages, natural or artificial, may be their ability to convey meanings about the external and internal worlds.
The MIT neuroscientists assembled nearly 50 speakers of these constructed languages during a weekend conference. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers observed that when participants listened to a constructed language in which they were proficient, the same brain regions lit up as those activated when they processed their native language.
Lead author and MIT postdoctoral scholar, Saima Malik-Moraleda, explains, "Constructed languages very much recruit the same system as natural languages, which suggests that the key feature that is necessary to engage the system may have to do with the kinds of meanings that both kinds of languages can express."
Artificial languages, known as conlangs, are created by an individual with predefined rules for sounds, labels for concepts, and grammar. Unlike natural languages, which develop within communities and evolve over time, conlangs do not require natural evolution or a large number of speakers to stimulate the language-processing areas of the brain.
Esperanto, the most widely spoken conlang, was created in 1887 by L.L. Zamenhof with the intention of promoting international communication. The study found that when participants listened to Esperanto, the brain regions activated were similar to those used for native languages. Other conlangs studied were Klingon, Na'vi, and two languages from "Game of Thrones."
Previous work from Evelina Fedorenko, MIT associate professor of neuroscience and senior author of the study, suggests that programming languages, another type of invented language, do not activate the brain's language-processing mechanisms. Instead, people who read computer code rely on a different brain system for difficult cognitive tasks.
The researchers hypothesize that natural and artificial languages share common features, expressing meanings related to the inner and outer worlds (i.e., objects, properties, and events). In contrast, programming languages, which are primarily symbolic and highly abstract, are not connected to the real world experienced by humans.
As part of future research, the researchers aim to study the brain's response to Lojban, a constructed language designed to minimize ambiguity and promote efficient communication. The study was funded by MIT's McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, the Simons Center for the Social Brain, the Frederick A. and Carole J. Middleton Career Development Professorship, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
- The study at MIT reveals that artificial languages, like Esperanto and Klingon, trigger the same brain regions as native languages, implying a shared mechanism in language processing.
- The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, proposes that the brain's network for language processing responds to both natural and artificial languages due to their ability to convey meanings about the world.
- Saima Malik-Moraleda, lead author of the study and an MIT postdoctoral scholar, explains this finding by suggesting that the key feature engaging the language-processing system might be the kinds of meanings that both natural and artificial languages can express.
- Conlangs, a type of artificial language, are created with defined rules for sounds, labels for concepts, and grammar, and they can stimulate the language-processing areas of the brain, unlike natural languages that develop organically.
- The study also includes the exploration of conlangs from popular television shows like Star Trek and Game of Thrones, revealing similarities in brain activation when participants listened to these invented languages.
- Interestingly, programming languages, another type of invented language, were found to not activate the brain's language-processing mechanisms in previous work by Evelina Fedorenko, an MIT associate professor of neuroscience.
- As part of their future work, the researchers aim to investigate the brain's response to Lojban, a constructed language designed for efficient communication and minimal ambiguity.
- The study was funded by MIT's McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, the Simons Center for the Social Brain, the Frederick A. and Carole J. Middleton Career Development Professorship, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health, demonstrating the interdisciplinary focus on science, education, and health-related research at MIT.
