NEUROLINGUISTICS IN BILINGUALISM: COGNITIVE AND LINGUISTIC MECHANISMS OF DUAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING
Abstract
Bilingual neurolinguistics examines how the brain represents and processes two linguistic systems. Research shows that bilinguals do not store or access their languages separately; instead, both languages remain co-activated, requiring continuous control of phonology, lexicon, syntax, and semantics. This article focuses on language-specific neurolinguistic mechanisms and explores how bilinguals access vocabulary, manage competing phonological codes, process syntax, and negotiate semantic representations. Models of bilingual lexical access and language control illustrate that bilingualism creates a unique linguistic architecture shaped by proficiency, dominance, and acquisition age. These findings contribute to theories of language production and comprehension by emphasizing how two systems coexist in a shared neural network.
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