The Tower of Babel: Bilingualism in Rome and Benifits Today

May  31st, 2024

I want to begin by celebrating the first 100 books donated to kids throughout America, Asia and Europe and the release of our health buddy program. This program will aid our mission by being implemented to educate kids in schools worldwide. We plan to hit a broader audience this summer with our recent partnership with California coalition for the youth and as our change ambassadors Donate Tom Thumb amazing journey on their global trips this summer. 

Now, in today's episode, we will be talking about learning Languages. Particularly the history of being bilingual, the perspective it brings, and the benefits. 

Recently I've been getting back into French. I first started learning conversational French when I was about 9 but in the past 2 years, I stopped studying it and barely spoke it unless we were actually in France and I dared to order something for myself. Recently I decided I should get back into it, so I started doing some Duolingo, and I was doing fine. Until I tried having an actual conversation in French, I realized I could understand what was being said to me perfectly fine, but I couldn't respond at all. This is the case for when people in my family speak Urdu, I can generally get what is being said, but I can't respond. And weirdly enough, I've been taking Latin for the past 4 years now and I can translate perfectly fine, but my composition is terrible. This relates to the learning of language which I will talk about later, but this mainly got me thinking about why there are so many languages and why. I had a conversation with my sister about this a few weeks ago and she was convinced that it was because of the Tower of Babel. I disagreed and said it was because of geography, we all probably started with a similar language and as separate groups of people in different locations the languages changed with the future conquering of places, and the more languages changed and evolved into what we have today. But the weird thing about this is that in every language some words are present no matter what, although they are in similar forms. That is weird and I'm not a linguist so maybe it could be a tower of babel kind of thing, I don't know. But I've been thinking, as there is beauty in having multiple languages as well as benefits to having a universal way of communicating. 

As usual, ancient Rome is an example. Widespread bilingualism at some level was characteristic of the ancient world. Latin and especially Greek were the languages of culture and education; in the Roman Empire, Latin was the language of law and the army, as well as power. This linguistic dominance meant that while many other languages coexisted alongside Latin and Greek, neither Greeks nor the Romans ever had to impose their language on others.

Greek reluctance to learn other languages was tied to their perception of cultural superiority and although important figures like Herodotus remained monolingual, speaking no Laitn this mindset was more characteristic of the literary elite and high culture. Greeks involved in activities such as mercenary work, trade, or colonization likely acquired other languages, especially in regions like Egypt or Persia.

The conquests of Alexander the Great introduced a more complex linguistic landscape, blending Greek with languages like Aramaic in the Seleucid Empire and making Greek the language of administration in Ptolemaic Egypt. Evidence suggests widespread bilingualism among Egyptians, particularly among ambitious officials.

Transitioning to the Roman Empire, bilingualism was prevalent at both official and individual levels. The elite were expected to be proficient in both Latin and Greek, and Greek was commonly used in diplomacy. However, Rome didn't forcefully impose Latin; rather, it adapted to local linguistic contexts, with Latin prevailing in the West and Greek in the East.

Even centuries ago being multilingual was not only necessary, but it gave a person ethos and even a type of knowledge that you can’t get from any other means. In the case of Ancient Rome, its approach to language reflected a nuanced understanding of cultural contexts, as they adapted to local linguistic contexts rather than imposing a single language, offering a valuable lesson in flexibility and adaptability. In our globalized world, embracing diverse linguistic backgrounds and accommodating multilingualism fosters inclusivity and effective communication.

But the way we learn languages today is through mandatory classes in highschool, or apps such as duolingo which make our knowledge of the language unusable, in comparison if we learned it through actual conversations. But another interesting way to learn languages, particularly ancient ones, is through linguistic anthropology. 

We've identified how Rome's development in language involved an understanding of cultural contexts,and we can do the same thing through the study of linguistic anthropology. 

Linguistic anthropology is a subfield of anthropology that focuses on studying language in its cultural and social contexts. Essentially, linguistic anthropology seeks to understand how language influences and is influenced by human behavior, beliefs, and social structures. This interdisciplinary field draws from linguistics, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and other disciplines to explore the intricate relationship between language and culture. Linguistic anthropologists investigate various topics, including language acquisition and socialization, language variation and change, multilingualism and language contact, language ideologies and attitudes, and the role of language in identity construction and group dynamics. Through ethnographic research, linguistic data analysis, and engagement with communities worldwide, linguistic anthropologists aim to uncover the complex ways in which language mediates social interactions, conveys cultural meanings, and shapes our perception of the world. Ultimately, linguistic anthropology offers valuable insights into the diversity of human languages and cultures, emphasizing the pivotal role of language in shaping human experience and society.

I said I had wondered how there are universal words used in every language, and linguistic anthropology is a means of understanding it. And through this anthropological lens we can learn language in cultural context, and study its structure and ideologies to have a proper understanding of any language, whether it be roman, greek or french. 

And According to the National Library of Medicine, in learning a language properly there are a number of changes made to your brain itself as you become proficient in the language. 

Research has unveiled numerous neuroscientific advantages associated with multilingualism, spanning enhanced cognitive control, deferred cognitive decline, and augmented gray matter density in brain regions pertinent to language processing and cognitive regulation. Multilingual individuals often demonstrate superior executive functions, attentional capabilities, and task-switching proficiencies, alongside enhanced conflict-resolution skills. Moreover, multilingualism appears to induce structural modifications in the brain, particularly observable as increased gray matter density in regions implicated in verbal fluency, articulatory mechanisms, and auditory processing.

Specific brain structures have been noted to exhibit differential activity levels between monolinguals and bilinguals, indicating distinct neural activity patterns among bilinguals. For instance, bilinguals typically display heightened activity in the left inferior frontal cortex during comprehension tasks, possibly attributable to mechanisms facilitating language separation. Additionally, learning new language mappings is associated with increased activation in the left ventral prefrontal cortex during first language reading, reflecting elevated lexical demands for bilinguals.

The left inferior frontal cortex is involved in a variety of cognitive functions, including language processing, speech production, and working memory. Specifically, it plays a crucial role in language production, such as generating words, forming sentences, and understanding grammar rules. Additionally, it's also involved in tasks related to cognitive control, decision-making, and attention regulation. In the context of bilingualism, this brain region helps bilingual individuals switch between languages and manage the cognitive demands of using multiple languages.

The left ventral prefrontal cortex is involved in various cognitive functions, including language processing, memory, decision-making, and emotional regulation. Specifically, it plays a role in semantic processing, which involves understanding the meaning of words and concepts. Additionally, it's implicated in executive functions such as cognitive control, attention, and planning. In the context of bilingualism, the left ventral prefrontal cortex may be particularly active when bilingual individuals are learning new language mappings or when they need to retrieve and process words in their first language after learning a new language. This activation reflects the brain's effort to manage the increased lexical demands associated with bilingualism.

Bilingualism also influences brain activity and the engagement of language control areas, with bilinguals often demonstrating heightened involvement of structures like the left caudate and anterior cingulate cortex during language processing. Despite imposing greater processing demands, bilingualism may confer benefits such as heightened efficiency in auditory processing.

The left caudate is a part of the brain's basal ganglia, which is involved in various functions related to movement, cognition, and emotion. Specifically, the caudate nucleus plays a role in reward processing, reinforcement learning, and motor control. It is also implicated in cognitive functions such as learning, memory, and decision-making. In the context of bilingualism, the left caudate has been shown to be involved in language control processes, particularly in managing and switching between multiple languages.

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a crucial brain region located in the frontal lobe, playing multifaceted roles in cognitive function and emotional regulation. Primarily, it oversees cognitive control processes such as attention, working memory, and decision-making, aiding in error detection and conflict resolution during tasks. Additionally, the ACC contributes to emotional regulation by evaluating the significance of stimuli and modulating emotional responses accordingly. It also participates in pain processing, influencing both the perception and cognitive aspects of pain experiences. Furthermore, the ACC regulates autonomic functions like heart rate and blood pressure, particularly in response to emotional and cognitive demands. In the context of bilingualism, the ACC is involved in language control processes, facilitating language selection, monitoring, and inhibition necessary for effective communication and cognitive control in individuals who speak multiple languages.

Recent investigations indicate that bilingualism may exert structural influences on certain brain areas, with bilingual individuals exhibiting increased gray matter in regions linked to language and auditory processing. Concurrently, alterations in white matter tracts have been documented, indicating structural adaptations associated with bilingualism.

In a comparative study, heightened brain activity was observed in high-proficiency early successive bilinguals compared to monolinguals during linguistic tasks conducted in the first language. These differences were particularly evident in tasks necessitating word retrieval and articulation. However, receptive language tasks did not yield significant differences between the groups, highlighting increased processing demands among bilinguals due to the management of multiple languages.

Collectively, the evidence underscores the significant impact of bilingualism on both the functional and structural characteristics of various brain regions involved in language processing and cognitive regulation, even within the bilinguals' primary and dominant language.

Studies consistently indicate that bilingual individuals tend to exhibit increased gray matter density in specific brain regions compared to monolinguals. Notably, early and late high-proficiency bilinguals often display heightened gray matter in areas implicated in verbal fluency tasks, articulatory and phonological processes, and auditory processing, encompassing structures such as the left inferior parietal structures, left putamen, and Heschl's gyrus. 

This is particularly interesting because, the left inferior parietal structures determine much of social interactions, and the left putamen deal with learning and motor control, including speech articulation, and cognitive functioning. And Heschl's gyrus is on the top part of the brain lobe which contains the primary auditory cortex

Moreover, these structural changes in gray matter density appear to correlate with the proficiency level in the second language, suggesting a relationship with language use rather than other uncontrolled variables. However, variations in these structural changes may arise based on factors such as age of language acquisition, language proficiency, and language use patterns.

In conclusion, bilingual individuals exhibit distinct neural activity patterns and heightened engagement of language control areas, demonstrating the intricate interplay between language processing demands and neural plasticity. Furthermore, structural modifications, such as increased gray matter density, highlight the profound impact of bilingualism on brain structure and function which proves to be reason enough to study a language well and with full understanding for real mental benefits as well as an impressive talent that opens doors to many new experiences and opportunities you wouldn't find otherwise. 

I urge you to study language, not in the way we typically do so, focusing on repetition and memorization. But study language in a unique, anthropological way allowing you to fully understand the structure, usage and evolution of language, 

Which will benefit you in numerous ways and lead ways to a number of opportunities for learning and self discovery outside of your current location. It all begins with a step out of your comfort zone as you study something completely different from what is in the world you live in.