Michael T. Ullman, Ph.D.

Departments of Neuroscience, Linguistics, Psychology, and
Neurology

Georgetown University

“Contributions of memory
brain systems to first and second
language”

Abstract: Language depends on a mental lexicon of stored word-specific knowledge and on a mental grammar that underlies the rule-governed composition of complex linguistic forms. Neurocognitive evidence – from behavioral, neurological, developmental, electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies – is presented suggesting that in first language (L1), the learning and use of lexical knowledge depends on the well-studied declarative memory system. This system, which is rooted in temporal-lobe structures, underlies the learning and use of fact and event knowledge, and appears to be modulated by estrogen. In contrast, the acquisition and use of aspects of grammar in L1 seem to rely on the procedural memory system, which is rooted in frontal/basal-ganglia circuits, and subserves the acquisition and expression of motor and cognitive skills, such as riding a bicycle. In later-learned second language (L2), the picture appears to be somewhat different. Evidence suggests that L2 learners have greater difficulty with the procedural acquisition of grammar than with the declarative memorization of lexical knowledge, as compared to young children. As a result, L2 learners initially depend largely on declarative memory, even for the use of complex forms, which can be memorized as chunks or constructed with rules learned in declarative memory. However, evidence from non-linguistic tasks suggests that with practice adults can indeed acquire knowledge in procedural memory. Thus it is not surprising that with increasing experience L2 learners seem to show procedural learning of grammatical rules. In sum, neurocognitive evidence suggests that both first and second language depend on declarative and procedural memory, albeit in somewhat different ways. Implications for identifying high-aptitude L2 learners and for improving L2 learning are discussed.

The New York Neuropsychology Group is a multidisciplinary nonprofit scientific and educational organization, founded in 1979 to provide a forum for the discussion of brain-behavior relationships.