bbchausa verticals/003 bilingual benefits

Amfanin iya harsuna biyu <> The amazing benefits of being bilingual

	Amfanin iya harsuna biyu [1]	The amazing benefits of being bilingual [2]
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Mafi yawan mutanen duniya na iya magana da harshe fiye da daya, abinda ke nuna an gina kwakwalwar mutane kan magana da harsuna da dama.	Most people in the world speak more than one language, suggesting the human brain evolved to work in multiple tongues.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Idan haka ne, wadanda ke amfani da harshe daya tak sun yi asara ke nan?	If so, asks Gaia Vince, are those of us who speak only one language missing out?
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	A wani shagon shan kofi	In a cafe
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	da ke kudancin London,	in south London,
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	wasu leburori	two construction workers
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	na hira cikin nishadi.	are engaged in cheerful banter,
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Lokaci-lokaci su kan kyalkyale da dariya.	tossing words back and forth. Their cutlery dances during more emphatic gesticulations and they occasionally break off into loud guffaws.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Da gani dai hirar mata su ke,	They are discussing a woman,
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	amma me su ke cewa ban sani ba.	that much is clear, but the details are lost on me.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Hirar ta su dai gwanin sha’awa ga mutum mai shisshigi iri na.	It's a shame, because their conversation looks fun and interesting, especially to a nosy person like me.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Sai dai ban iya yarensu ba.	But I don't speak their language.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Tsabar cusa kai ta sa na katse musu zancen	Out of curiosity, I interrupt them
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	na tambaye su wane yare su ke yi?	to ask what they are speaking.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Cikin murmushi sai su ka karba da harshen Ingilishi	With friendly smiles, they both switch easily to English,
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	cewa su 'yan Afrika ta Kudu ne	explaining that they are South Africans
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	kuma su na hira ne da harshen Xhosa.	and had been speaking Xhosa.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	A garinsu, Johannesburg,	In Johannesburg, where they are from,
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	yawancin mutane na jin akalla harsuna biyar,	most people speak at least five languages,
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	in ji daya daga cikinsu, Theo Morris.	says one of them, Theo Morris.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Misali, mahaifiyar Theo ‘yar kabilar Sotho ce, babansa Zulu,	For example, Theo’s mother’s language is Sotho, his father’s is Zulu,
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	ya koyi Xhosa da Ndebele daga abokai da makwabta,	he learned Xhosa and Ndebele from his friends and neighbours,
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	yayinda ya koyi Ingilishi da Afrikaaans a makaranta.	and English and Afrikaans at school.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Ya kara da cewa; “Kafin na zo nan na zauna a Jamus, don haka na koyi Jamusanci.”	“I went to Germany before I came here, so I also speak German,” he adds.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Amma dai ya sha wuya kafin iya wadannan harsunan ko?	Was it easy to learn so many languages?
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Cikin dariya ya ce; “Sam. Ba wata wuya.”	“Yes, it’s normal,” he laughs.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Da gaskiyarsa.	He’s right.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Fiye da rabin mutanen duniya su na jin akalla harsuna biyu.	Around the world, more than half of people – estimates vary from 60 to 75 percent – speak at least two languages.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Kasashe da dama na amfani da fiye da yare daya a matsayin harshen kasa – Afirka ta Kudu na amfani da 11.	Many countries have more than one official national language – South Africa has 11.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Ga shi kuma ana sa ran mutane su iya magana, karatu, da rubutu da daya daga cikin manyan harsunan duniya kamar su Ingilishi, Sinanci, Indiyanci, Spaniyanci da Larabci.	People are increasingly expected to speak, read and write at least one of a handful of “super” languages, such as English, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish or Arabic, as well.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	Don haka masu amfani da harshe daya tak,	So to be monolingual,
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	kamar mafi yawan masu amfani da Ingilishi a matsayin harshen asali,	as many native English speakers are,
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	‘yan tsiraru ne,	is to be in the minority,
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	kuma watakila ma su na tafka asara.	and perhaps to be missing out.
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	An gano cewa kwarewa a harsuna da dama	Multilingualism has been shown to
[[Template:AUTOINCREMENT]]	na da dimbin alfanu ta fuskar zamantakewa da halayya da samun damammaki a rayuwa.	have many social, psychological and lifestyle advantages.

The benefits of being bilingual [3] <> Amfanin iya harsuna biyu [4]

The amazing benefits of being bilingual [5] <> Amfanin iya yare fiye da ɗaya [6]

Most people in the world [7] <> Mafi yawan mutanen duniya [8]

can speak more than one language [9] <> na iya magana da harshe fiye da daya, [10]

which shows our brains are built for multiple languages. [11] <> abinda ke nuna an gina kwakwalwar mutane kan magana da harsuna da dama. [12]

If that's so [13] <> Idan haka ne, [14]

asks Gaia Vince, are those of us who speak only one language missing out? [15] <> wadanda ke amfani da harshe daya tak sun yi asara ke nan? [16]

Most people in the world [17] <> Mafi yawan mutanen duniya [18]

speak more than one language, [19] <> na iya magana da harshe fiye da ɗaya [20]

suggesting the human brain evolved to work in multiple tongues. [21] <> hakan na nuna ƙwaƙwalwar mutum ta samu canjin iya amfani da harsuna kala-kala. [22]

If so, [23] <> Idan haka ne [24]

In a cafe [25] <> A wani shagon shan kofi [26]

in south London, [27] <> da ke kudancin London, [28]

two construction workers [29] <> wasu leburori [30]

are engaged in cheerful banter, [31] <> na hira cikin nishadi. [32]

tossing words back and forth. Their cutlery dances during more emphatic gesticulations and they occasionally break off into loud guffaws. [33] <> Lokaci-lokaci su kan kyalkyale da dariya. [34]

They are discussing a woman, [35] <> Da gani dai hirar mata su ke, [36]

that much is clear, but the details are lost on me. [37] <> amma me su ke cewa ban sani ba. [38]

It’s a shame, because their conversation looks fun and interesting, especially to a nosy person like me. [39] <> Hirar ta su dai gwanin sha’awa ga mutum mai shisshigi irina. [40]

But I don’t speak their language. [41] <> Sai dai ban iya yarensu ba. [42]

Out of curiosity, I interrupt them [43] <> Tsabar cusa kai ta sa na katse musu zancen [44]

to ask [45] <> na tambaye su [46]

what they are speaking. [47] <> wane yare su ke yi? [48]

With friendly smiles, [49] <> Cikin murmushi [50]

they both switch easily to English, [51] <> sai su ka karba da harshen Ingilishi [52]

explaining that they are South Africans [53] <> cewa su ‘yan Afrika ta Kudu ne [54]

and had been speaking Xhosa. [55] <> kuma su na hira ne da harshen Xhosa. [56]

In Johannesburg, where they are from, [57] <> A garinsu, Johannesburg, [58]

most people speak at least five languages, [59] <> yawancin mutane na jin akalla harsuna biyar, [60]

says one of them, Theo Morris. [61] <> in ji daya daga cikinsu, Theo Morris. [62]

For example, [63] <> Misali, [64]

Theo’s mother’s language is Sotho, [65] <> mahaifiyar Theo ‘yar kabilar Sotho ce, [66]

his father’s is Zulu, [67] <> babansa Zulu, [68]

he learned Xhosa and Ndebele from his friends and neighbours, [69] <> ya koyi Xhosa da Ndebele daga abokai da makwabta, [70]

and English and Afrikaans at school. [71] <> yayinda ya koyi Ingilishi da Afrikaaans a makaranta. [72]

“I went to Germany before I came here, so I also speak German,” he adds. [73] <> Ya kara da cewa; “Kafin na zo nan na zauna a Jamus, don haka na koyi Jamusanci.” [74]

Was it easy to learn so many languages? [75] <> Amma dai ya sha wuya kafin iya wadannan harsunan ko? [76]

“Yes, it’s normal,” he laughs. [77] <> Cikin dariya ya ce; “Sam. Ba wata wuya.” [78]

He’s right. [79] <> Da gaskiyarsa. [80]

Around the world, more than half of people – estimates vary from 60 to 75 per cent – speak at least two languages. [81] <> Fiye da rabin mutanen duniya su na jin akalla harsuna biyu. [82]

Many countries have more than one official national language – South Africa has 11. [83] <> Kasashe da dama na amfani da fiye da yare daya a matsayin harshen kasa – Afirka ta Kudu na amfani da 11. [84]

People are increasingly expected to speak, read and write at least one of a handful of “super” languages, [85] <> Ga shi kuma ana sa ran mutane su iya magana, karatu, da rubutu da daya daga cikin manyan harsunan duniya [86]

such as English, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish or Arabic, as well. [87] <> kamar su Ingilishi, Sinacni, Indiyanci, Spaniyanci da Larabci. [88]

So to be monolingual, [89] <> Don haka masu amfani da harshe daya tak, [90]

as many native English speakers are, [91] <> kamar mafi yawan masu amfani da Ingilishi a matsayin harshen asali, [92]

is to be in the minority, [93] <> ‘yan tsiraru ne, [94]

and perhaps to be missing out. [95] <> kuma watakila ma su na tafka asara. [96]

Multilingualism has been shown to [97] <> An gano cewa kwarewa a harsuna da dama [98]

have many social, psychological and lifestyle advantages. [99] <> na da dimbin alfanu ta fuskar zamantakewa da halayya da samun damammaki a rayuwa. [100]

Moreover, [101] <> Haka kuma [102]

researchers [103] <> masu bincike [104]

are finding a swathe of health benefits from speaking more than one language, [105] <> na gano cewa amfani da harsuna fiye da guda na taimakawa ta fuskar lafiya [106]

including faster stroke recovery and delayed onset of dementia. [107] <> musamman saurin farfadowa daga bugun jinni da kuma dakile saurin kamuwa da gigin tsufa. [108]

Could it be that the human brain evolved to be multilingual – [109] <> Shin dama an yi kwakwalwar mutane ne ta yadda za ta sarrafa harsuna fiye da daya, [110]

that those who speak only one language are not exploiting their full potential? [111] <> kuma wanda ke amfani da harshe daya tak na sakaci da damarsa ke nan? [112]

And in a world that is losing languages faster than ever – [113] <> A wannan duniyar da harsuna ke bacewa fiye da kowanne lokaci a baya – [114]

at the current rate of one a fortnight, half our languages will be extinct by the end of the century – [115] <> akalla duk mako biyu harshe daya na bacewa, wato nan da karshen karni rabin harsunan duniya za su bace – [116]

what will happen if the current rich diversity of languages disappears and most of us end up speaking only one? [117] <> me zai faru idan baki daya harsuna su ka bace ya zama duk duniya na amfani da harshe daya tilo? [118]

I am sitting in a laboratory, [119] <> Yanzu haka ina zaune a wani dakin gwaji, [120]

headphones on, [121] <> sanye da bututun sauraron magana a kunnena, [122]

looking at pictures of snowflakes on a computer. [123] <> ina kallon hotunan dusar kankara a kwamfuta. [124]

As each pair of snowflakes appears, [125] <> Duk lokacin da samfurin dusar kankara biyu su ka bayyana a kwamfutar, [126]

I hear a description of one of them through the headphones. [127] <> akan yi min bayani ta bututun maganar da ke kunne na. [128]

All I have to do is [129] <> Iyakacin abinda zan yi shi ne [130]

decide which snowflake is being described. [131] <> in nuna wannan daga cikin samfurin dusar kankarar da ake bayyanawa. [132]

The only catch is that the descriptions are in a completely invented language called Syntaflake. [133] <> Matsalar daya ce; bayanin na zuwa ne cikin wani kirkirarren harshe mai suna Syntaflake. [134]

It’s part of an experiment by Panos Athanasopoulos, [135] <> Wannan dai wani bangare ne na gwajin da Panos Athanasopoulos, [136]

an ebullient Greek with a passion for languages. [137] <> dan kasar Girka mai tsanani kaunar harsuna ke gudanarwa. [138]

Professor of psycholinguistics and bilingual cognition at Lancaster University, [139] <> Farfesan nazarin yadda kwakwalwa ke sarrafa harshe tare da fahimtar magana cikin harsuna biyu a jami’ar Lancaster, [140]

he’s at the forefront [141] <> shi ne kan gaba [142]

of a new wave of research into the bilingual mind. [143] <> wurin sabon binciken da ake gudanarwa kan kwakwalwar masu amfani da harsuna biyu. [144]

As you might expect, his lab is a Babel of different nationalities and languages – but no one here grew up speaking Syntaflake. [145] <> Gwajin da ake min na da matukar wuya. [146]

The task is profoundly strange and incredibly difficult. [147] <> Abinda aka saba shi ne, [148]

Usually, [149] <> idan ka na amfani da bakon harshe, [150]

when interacting in a foreign language, [151] <> akwai alamomin [152]

there are clues [153] <> da zasu taimaka wurin gane ma’anar me ake cewa. [154]

to help you decipher the meaning. [155] <> Misali, mai maganar [156]

The speaker [157] <> zai iya [158]

might [159] <> nuna dusar kankarar [160]

point to the snowflake [161] <> a lokacin da ya ke magana, ko ya yi amfani da ‘yan yatsunsa wurin nuna adadi, girma, ko kankantar abinda ya ke zance a kai. [162]

as they speak, use their hands to demonstrate shapes or their fingers to count out numbers, for example. [163] <> A nan, babu wadannan alamomin. [164]

Here I have no such clues [165] <> Kasancewar yaren kirkirarre ne, [166]

and, it being a made-up language, [167] <> babu yadda zan yi in kwatanta shi da wasu harsuanan da na iya. [168]

I can’t even rely on picking up similarities to languages I already know. [169] <> Bayan wani lokaci, [170]

After a time, [171] <> sai na ji na fara gane yadda ake jeranta kalmomi a hada jimla a cikin sautin. [172]

though, I begin to feel a pattern might be emerging with the syntax and sounds. [173] <> I then felt I've started to get a handle of how the words are listed/patterned and sentences are connected to in the sounds. [174]

I decide to be mathematical about it and get out pen [175] <> Don haka sai na dauko biro [176]

and paper [177] <> da takarda [178]

to plot any rules that emerge, determined not to “fail” the test. The experience reminds me of a time I arrived in a rural town a few hours outside Beijing and was forced to make myself understood in a language I could neither speak nor read, among people for whom English was similarly alien. But even then, there had been clues… Now, without any accompanying human interaction, the rules governing the sounds I’m hearing remain elusive, and at the end of the session I have to admit defeat. [179] <> na fara rubuta abinda na ji don ganin ko zan iya fahimtar yaren. Amma dai har aka gama ban fahimci komai ba. [180]

I join Athanasopoulos for a chat while my performance is being analysed by his team. [181] <> Sai kuma na kara sa wurin Athanasopoulos domin tattaunawa da shi kafin ma’aikatansa su gama tantance sakamakon gwajin da su ka yi min. [182]

Glumly, I recount my difficulties at learning the language, despite my best efforts. [183] <> Cikin takaici, na bayyana masa wahalar da na fuska wurin koyar sabon harshe. [184]

But it appears that was where I went wrong: [185] <> Sai dai kuma da alama a nan na kwafsa: [186]

“The people who perform best on this task [187] <> “Wadanda su ka fi yin kokari a wannan jarrabawar [188]

are the ones who don’t care at all about the task and just want to get it over as soon as possible. [189] <> su ne wadanda ba su damu da yin nasara ba, su dai kawai su gama su huta. [190]

Students and teaching staff [191] <> Dalibai da malamai [192]

who try to work it out and find a pattern always do worst,” he says. [193] <> su ne su ka fi shan kasa,” in ji shi. [194]

“It’s impossible in the time given to decipher the rules of the language and make sense of what’s being said to you. [195] <> “Ba zai yiwu ki fahimci ka’idojin harshe tare da fahimtar abinda ake gaya miki cikin dan kankanin lokaci ba. [196]

But your brain is primed to work it out subconsciously. [197] <> Amma kwakwalwarki za ta iya cankar ma’anar idan ki ka kyaleta. [198]

That’s why, if you don’t think about it, you’ll do okay in the test – children do the best.” [199] <> Shi ya sa kananan yara su ka fi yin nasara a gwajin.” [200]

The first words ever uttered may have been as far back as 250,000 years ago, [201] <> Kakanninmu dai sun fara furta magana ne kusan shekaru dubu 250 da su ka wuce, [202]

once our ancestors stood up on two legs [203] <> tun bayan da su ka koyi tsaya wa a kan kafafuwa biyu, [204]

and freed the ribcage from weight-bearing tasks, [205] <> abinda ya dauke wa kirazansu nauyi, [206]

allowing fine nerve control of breathing and pitch to develop. [207] <> ya bada damar sarrafa numfashi da fitar da ingantaccen sauti. [208]

And when humans had got one language, it wouldn’t have been long before we had many. [209] <> Daga lokacinda mutane su ka koyi magana kuwa, samar da wani sabon yare bai zo da wahala ba. [210]

Language evolution can be compared to biological evolution, [211] <> Za a iya kwatanta tarihin samuwar harsuna da tarihin samuwar halittu, [212]

but whereas genetic change is driven by environmental pressures, [213] <> sai dai yayinda sauyin yanayi ke tasiri wurin samuwar halittu, [214]

languages change and develop through social pressures. [215] <> sauyin tsarin zamantakewa shi ne ke tasiri wurin samuwar harsuna. [216]

Over time, [217] <> Bayan dan lokaci, [218]

different groups of early humans [219] <> sai rukunin mutane dabam-daban [220]

would have found themselves speaking different languages. [221] <> su ka fara amfani da harsuna da daban. [222]

Then, in order to communicate with other groups – [223] <> Amma bukatar sadarwa da wasu – [224]

for trade, travel and so on – [225] <> saboda ciniki, tafiya, da sauransu – [226]

it would have been necessary for some members of a family or band to speak other tongues. [227] <> sai ta tilastawa mutane magana da harsuna fiye da daya. [228]

We can get some sense of how prevalent multilingualism may have been from the few hunter-gatherer peoples who survive today. [229] <> Muna iya fahimtar yadda amfani da harsuna da yawa ya yadu cikin al’ummomin da can idan mu ka yi la’akari da tsirarin kabilu mayawatan da su ka rage. [230]

“If you look at modern hunter-gatherers, [231] <> “Idan ki ka kalli kabilun mayawatan [232]

they are almost all multilingual,” [233] <> da su ka rage a yanzu, yawancinsu su na jin harsuna da yawa,” [234]

says Thomas Bak, [235] <> in ji Thomas Bak, [236]

a cognitive neurologist who studies the science of languages at the University of Edinburgh. [237] <> mai nazari kan yadda kwakwalwa ke fahimtar abubuwa a jami’ar Edinburgh. [238]

“The rule is that [239] <> “Dokar ita ce; [240]

one mustn’t marry anyone in the same tribe or clan to have a child – it’s taboo. [241] <> dole ne mutum ya yi aure a a wata kabilar dabam. [242]

So every single child’s mum and dad speak a different language.” [243] <> Don haka kowanne yaro zai taso tare da uwa da uban da suke da yaruka mabambanta.” [244]

In Aboriginal Australia, [245] <> A cikin kabilun asali na kasar Australia, [246]

where more than 130 indigenous languages are still spoken, [247] <> inda har yanzu su ke da harsuna fiye da 130, [248]

multilingualism is part of the landscape. [249] <> kusan kowa ya na jin harshe fiye da daya. [250]

“You will be walking and talking with someone, [251] <> “Ku na tafe ku na hirarku da mutum, [252]

and then you might cross a small river [253] <> da kun tsallaka wata ‘yar koramar [254]

and suddenly your companion will switch to another language,” says Bak. [255] <> sai ka ga abokin hirarka ya sauya harshe,” in ji Bak. [256]

“People speak the language of the earth.” This is true elsewhere, too. [257] <> Wannan kuma haka ya ke a wasu sassan na duniya ma. [258]

“Consider in Belgium: you take a train in Liège, [259] <> Misali, idan ka shiga jirgin kasa a Belgium, a Liege [260]

the announcements are in French first. [261] <> za ka ji ana sanarwa da Faransanci, [262]

Then, pass through Loewen, where the announcements will be in Dutch first, [263] <> in ka shiga Loewen sai harshen ya juye zuwa Dutch, [264]

and then in Brussels it reverts back to French first.” [265] <> a Brussels kuma sai a koma Faransanci. [266]

The connection [267] <> Wannan dangantaka [268]

with culture and geography [269] <> tsakanin harshe da al’ada da muhalli [270]

is why Athanasopoulos [271] <> ita ce ta sa Athanasopoulos [272]

invented [273] <> ya kirkiro [274]

a new language [275] <> sabon harshe [276]

for [277] <> domin [278]

the snowflake test. [279] <> gwajin samfurin dusar kankara. [280]

Part of his research lies in trying to tease out the language from the culture it is threaded within, he explains. [281] <> Ya bayyana cewa daya daga cikin manufofin bincikensa shi ne rarrabe tsakanin harshe da kuma al’adar da ta dabaibaye shi. [282]

Being so bound up with identity, language is also deeply political. [283] <> Saboda harshe ya na da dangantaka da al’ada shi ya sa kuma ya ke da alaka da siyasa. [284]

The emergence of European nation states [285] <> Samar kasashen Turai [286]

and the growth of imperialism [287] <> da tsarin mulkin mallaka [288]

during the 19th century meant it was regarded as disloyal to speak anything other than the one national language. [289] <> a karnin na 19 sai su ka sa amfani da bakon harshe ya zamo tamkar rashin kishin kasa. [290]

This perhaps contributed to the widely held opinion – [291] <> Wannan shi ne asalin ra’ayin nan da ya yadu [292]

particularly in Britain and the US – that [293] <> musamman a Burtaniya da Amurka cewa [294]

bringing up children [295] <> tarbiyantar da yara [296]

to be bilingual was harmful to their health and to society more generally. [297] <> kan amfani da harsuna biyu zai yi musu illa a kansu kuma zai iya jawo matsala cikin al’umma. [298]

There were warnings that bilingual children would be confused by two languages, have [299] <> A baya ma an sha gargadin cewa yaran da ke amfani da harsuna biyu za su tashi cikin rudani, [300]

lower intelligence, [301] <> da dakikanci, [302]

low self-esteem, [303] <> da raina kansu, [304]

behave in deviant ways, develop a split personality and even become schizophrenic. [305] <> har ma da yiwuwar su kamu da tabin hankali. [306]

It is a view that persisted [307] <> Wannan ra’ayi ya yi tasiri [308]

until very recently, [309] <> har zuwa shekarun baya bayan nan, [310]

discouraging many immigrant parents from using their own mother tongue to speak to their children, for instance. [311] <> abinda ya sa mutanen da su ka yi kaura su ka ki koya wa ‘ya’yansu harshensu na asali. [312]

This is in spite of a 1962 experiment, [313] <> Hakan kuwa na faruwa ne duk da gwajin da aka yi a 1962 [314]

ignored for decades, which showed that bilingual children did better than monolinguals in both verbal and non-verbal intelligence tests. [315] <> wanda ya nuna cewa yaran da ke amfani da harsuna biyu sun fi ma su amfani da harshe daya kokari da fahimtar karatu. [316]

However, research in the last decade by [317] <> Sai dai binciken da [318]

neurologists, [319] <> masu nazarin kwakwalwa [320]

psychologists [321] <> da masu halayyar dan Adam [322]

and linguists, [323] <> da fidar harshe [324]

using the latest brain-imaging tools, [325] <> ta hanyar amfani da na’urorin daukar hoton kwakwalwa na zamani [326]

is revealing a swathe of cognitive benefits for bilinguals. [327] <> sun nuna cewa masu amfani da harshe biyu na da karfin fahimta fiye da masu harshe daya. [328]

It’s all to do with how our ever-flexible minds learn to multitask. [329] <> Wannan kuwa ya samu asali daga yadda kwakwalwa ke koyon yin ayyuka da yawa a lokaci guda. [330]

Split personality [331] <> Rabuwar hankali [332]

Ask me in English [333] <> Idan ka tambaye ni da Ingilishi, [334]

what my favourite food is, [335] <> abincin da na fi so, [336]

and I will picture myself in London choosing from the options I enjoy there. [337] <> sai hankalina ya tafi London ina fara tunanin irin abincin da na kan samu a can. [338]

But ask me in French, [339] <> Amma idan ka tambaye ni da Faransanci [340]

and I transport myself to Paris, [341] <> sai hankalina ya tafi Paris, [342]

where the options I’ll choose from are different. [343] <> inda irin abincin da zan zaba ya bambanta da na London. [344]

So the same deeply personal question [345] <> Wato ke nan tambaya daya [346]

gets a different answer [347] <> na da amsoshi dabam-daban [348]

depending on the language in which you’re asking me. [349] <> daidai da harshen da ka tambaye ni da shi. [350]

This idea that you gain a new personality with every language you speak, that you act differently when speaking different languages, is a profound one. [351] <> Gano cewa dabi’ar mutane kan sauya daidai da harshen da su ke amfani da shi, ilimi ne mai matukar amfani. [352]

Athanasopoulos and his colleagues have been studying [353] <> Athanasopoulos da abokan aikinsa sun dade su na nazari [354]

the capacity for language to change people’s perspectives. [355] <> kan yadda amfani da harshe ke sauya tunanin mutane. [356]

In one experiment, [357] <> A wani gwaji da su ka yi, [358]

English and German speakers were shown videos of people moving, [359] <> sun nuna wa masu jin Ingilishi da Jamusanci hotunan bidiyo na mutane masu motsi, [360]

such as a woman walking towards her car or a man cycling to the supermarket. [361] <> kamar wata mata da ta tunkari motarta da kuma wani mutum da ke tuka keke zuwa kanti. [362]

English speakers focus on the action [363] <> Masu jin Ingilishi kan mai da hankalinsu kan aikin, [364]

and typically describe the scene as [365] <> inda su kan ce [366]

“a woman is walking” or [367] <> “mace na tafiya” ko [368]

“a man is cycling”. [369] <> “mutum na tuka keke”. [370]

German speakers, on the other hand, have a more holistic worldview and will include the goal of the action: they might say (in German) “a woman walks towards her car” or “a man cycles towards the supermarket”. [371] <> Masu jin Jamusanci kuwa su kan hada da manufar aikin inda su kan ce “mace na tafiya zuwa motarta” ko “mutum na tuka keke zuwa kanti”. [372]

Part of this is due to [373] <> Daya daga cikin abubuwan da ke kawo wannan bambancin shi ne [374]

the grammatical toolkit available, [375] <> nahawun kowanne harshe, [376]

Athanasopoulos explains. [377] <> kamar yadda Athanasopoulos ya bayyana. [378]

Unlike German, English has the -ing ending to describe actions that are ongoing. [379] <> Harshen Ingilishi ya na da kalmomin ayyuka da ke karuwa da –ing, abinda babu a Jamusanci. [380]

This makes English speakers much less likely than German speakers to assign a goal to an action when describing an ambiguous scene. [381] <> Wannan ya sa masu jin Ingilishi ba sa danganta aiki da manufarsa kamar takwarorinsu masu jin Jamusanci. [382]

When he tested English–German bilinguals, however, whether they were action- or goal-focused [383] <> Amma da ya gwada masu jin harsunan biyu gaba daya domin gano ko za su mai da hankali kan aikin ne ko kuma makasudinsa, [384]

depended on which country they were tested in. If the bilinguals were tested in Germany, they were goal-focused; [385] <> sai ya gano cewa wannan ya danganta da kasar da su ke ciki; [386]

in England, [387] <> a Ingila, [388]

they were action-focused, [389] <> suna mai da hankali ne kan aiki, [390]

no matter which language was used, [391] <> ko da wane yare su ke magana kuwa, amma a Jamus su na mai da hankali ne kan manufar. [392]

showing how intertwined culture and language can be in determining a person’s worldview. [393] <> Wannan ya nuna yadda al’ada da harshe ke cudewa wurin yin tasiri kan tunanin mutane. [394]

In the 1960s, [395] <> A shekarun 1960, [396]

one of the pioneers of psycholinguistics, [397] <> daya daga cikin jagororin nazarin dangantakar halayyar dan Adam da harshe, [398]

Susan Ervin-Tripp, tested Japanese–English bilingual women, [399] <> Susan Ervin-Tripp, ta gwada matan da ke jin harsunan Japananci da Ingilshi, [400]

asking them to finish sentences in each language. [401] <> inda ta neme su da su kammala wasu jimloli. [402]

She found that the women ended the sentences very differently depending on which language was used. [403] <> Ta gano cewa harshen da matan su ka yi amfani da shi na da tasiri kan yadda su ke karasa jimlolin. [404]

For example, [405] <> Ga misali, [406]

“When my wishes [407] <> “Idan abin da na ke so [408]

conflict with [409] <> ya saba da [410]

my family…” [411] <> abinda dangi na ke so…” [412]

was completed in Japanese as [413] <> sai su karasa da Japananci [414]

“it is a time of great [415] <> “wannan lokaci ne [416]

unhappiness”; [417] <> na bakin ciki”; [418]

in English, as [419] <> amma da Ingilishi sai su karasa da [420]

“I do what I want”. [421] <> “Sai in yi abinda na ke so”. [422]

Another example was [423] <> Wani misalin kuma shi ne [424]

“Real friends should…”, [425] <> “Ya kamata kawayen kwarai…” [426]

which was completed as “help each other” [427] <> su ka karasa da “su taimaki juna” [428]

In Japanese [429] <> da Japananci [430]

and “be frank” in English. [431] <> da Ingilishi kuma “su gaya wa juna gaskiya”. [432]

From this, [433] <> Daga nan ne, [434]

Ervin-Tripp concluded that [435] <> Ervin-Tripp ta gano cewa [436]

human thought takes place within language mindsets, [437] <> dan Adam ya na tunani ne ta cikin yare, [438]

and that bilinguals [439] <> kuma masu yare biyu [440]

have different mindsets [441] <> su na tunani dabam-daban [442]

for each language – [443] <> da kowane yare – [444]

an extraordinary idea [445] <> wannan muhimmiyar magana ce [446]

but one that has been borne out in subsequent studies, [447] <> wadda nazarce-nazarcen da aka yi daga baya su ka tabbatar. [448]

and many bilinguals say [449] <> Haka kuma masu amfani da harsuna biyu da dama kan ce [450]

they feel [451] <> su kan ji [452]

like a different person when they speak their other language. [453] <> su kamar wasu mutanen dabam a lokacin da su ke magana da harshe na dabam. [454]

These different mindsets are continually in conflict, however, [455] <> Sai dai kuma a ko da yaushe wadannan tsarin tunanin mabambanta na kara wa da junansu, [456]

as [457] <> a yayin da [458]

bilingual brains [459] <> kwakwalwar mai jin harshe biyu [460]

sort out which language to use. [461] <> ke kokarin ware da wane yaren za ta yi aiki. [462]

In a revealing experiment with his English-German bilingual group, Athanasopoulos got them to [463] <> A wani gwaji da Athanasopoulos ya gudanar kan masu jin Ingilishi da Jamusanci, ya kan sa su [464]

recite strings of numbers [465] <> yi kidaya [466]

out loud [467] <> a bayyane [468]

in either German or English. [469] <> da daya daga cikin harsunan biyu a lokacin da ya ke nuna musu hotunan bidiyo. [470]

This effectively “blocked” the other language altogether, [471] <> Wannan kidayar kan toshe tasirin daya harshen da su ke ji, [472]

and when they were shown the videos of movement, the bilinguals’ descriptions were more action- or goal-focused depending on which language had been blocked. So, if they recited numbers in German, their responses to the videos were more typically German and goal-focused. When the number recitation was switched to the other language midway, their video responses also switched. [473] <> don haka su kan wassafa abinda su ke gani cikin bidiyon bisa la’akari da aikin ko manufar aikin ta mahangar harshen da su ka yi kidayar a cikinsa. [474]

So what’s going on? [475] <> To me hakan ke nufi? [476]

Are there really two separate minds in a bilingual brain? [477] <> Ta tabbata ke nan tunani na bambanta bisa bambancin yare? [478]

That’s what the snowflake experiment was designed to find out. [479] <> Wannan shi ne abinda gwajin wassafa dusar kankara ke kokarin gano wa. [480]

I’m a little nervous [481] <> Ina dai dan jin dar-dar [482]

of what my fumbling performance will reveal about me, [483] <> bisa abinda gwajin zai bayyana game da ni, [484]

but Athanasopoulos assures me I’m similar to others who have been tested – and so far, we seem to be validating his theory. [485] <> amma Athanasopoulos ya tabbatar min da cewa sakamakona ya yi daidai da na mutanen da ya gwada a baya. [486]

In order to assess the effect that trying to understand the Syntaflake language had on my brain, [487] <> Domin fahimtar tasirin da yaren Syntaflake ya yi wa kwakwalwata, [488]

I took another test before and after the snowflake task. [489] <> an yi min jarrabawa kafin, da bayan, gwajin tantance samfurin dusar kankarar. [490]

In these so-called flanker tasks, patterns of arrows appeared on the screen and I had to press the left or right button according to the direction of the arrow in the centre. [491] <> N/A [492]

Sometimes the surrounding pattern of arrows was confusing, so by the end of the first session my shoulders had been hunched somewhere near my ears and I was exhausted from concentrating. It’s not a task in which practice improves performance (most people actually do worse second time round), but when I did the same test again after completing the snowflake task, I was significantly better at it, just as Athanasopoulos has predicted. [493] <> N/A [494]

“Learning the new language improved your performance second time around,” he explains. Relieved as I am to fit into the normal range, it’s a curious result. How can that be? [495] <> N/A [496]

The flanker tasks were exercises in cognitive conflict resolution – if most of the arrows were pointing to the left, my immediate impulse was to push the left button, but this wasn’t the correct response if the central arrow was pointing right. I had to block out my impulse and heed the rule instead. [497] <> Amfaninsu shi ne yi wa kwakwalwata atisaye domin ta kara basirar fahimtar sabon harshen. [498]

Another example of cognitive conflict is a test in which the names of colours are written in different colours (“blue” written in red, for example). [499] <> A cikin jarrabawar a kan rubuta sunayen launuka da haruffa masu launuka dabam (misali “shudi” a rubuta da jajayen haruffa). [500]

The aim is to say which colour each word is written in, [501] <> Abinda ake so, shi ne ka fadi launin haruffan, [502]

but this is tricky, [503] <> to amma abin da wuya, [504]

because we read the word much quicker than we process the colour of the letters. [505] <> saboda muna riga karanta rubutu kafin fahimtar launi. [506]

It requires considerable mental effort [507] <> Don haka sai ka dage kwarai [508]

to ignore the impulse just to say the word we can’t help but read. [509] <> kafin ka danne abinda ka karanta ka fadi abinda ka gani. [510]

The part of the brain [511] <> Bangaren kwakwalwar [512]

that manages this supreme effort [513] <> da ke lura da wannan aikin [514]

is known as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), [515] <> ana kiransa (ACC), [516]

part of the “executive system”. Located on the frontal lobe, [517] <> wanda ke gaban goshin kwakwalwa. [518]

it is a toolbox of mental attention skills that [519] <> Wannan bangaren shi ne ke [520]

enables us to [521] <> ba mu damar [522]

concentrate [523] <> mai da hankali [524]

on one task while blocking out competing information, and allows us to switch focus between different tasks without becoming confused. [525] <> kan wani aiki mu toshe wasu tunaninka ba tare da mun rude ba. [526]

It is the executive system that tells us to go when we see a green light and stop for a red, and it is the same system that tells us to ignore the meaning of the word we read but concentrate on the colour of the letters. [527] <> N/A [528]

The snowflake test prepared my ACC for the second flanker task, just as speaking more than one language seems to train the executive system more generally. [529] <> N/A [530]

A steady stream of studies over the past decade [531] <> Nazarurruka da dama cikin shekaru goman da su ka wuce [532]

has shown that bilinguals [533] <> sun nuna cewa masu jin harsuna biyu [534]

outperform monolinguals [535] <> sun fi masu jin harshe daya tak kokari [536]

in a range of cognitive and social tasks from verbal and nonverbal tests to how well they can read other people. [537] <> wurin shirya magana da kuma fahimtar mutane. [538]

Greater empathy is thought to be because bilinguals are better at blocking out their own feelings and beliefs in order to concentrate on the other person’s. “Bilinguals perform these tasks much better than monolinguals – they are faster and more accurate,” says Athanasopoulos. And that suggests their executive systems are different from monolinguals’. [539] <> Ana ganin hakan ya biyo bayan kwarewar da bangaren ACC na kwakwalwarsu ya samu ne sanadiyyar daidaitawa tsakanin harsuna biyu. [540]

Mental muscles [541] <> Tsokar kwakwalwa [542]

In fact, says [543] <> A cewar [544]

cognitive neuropsychologist Jubin Abutalebi, [545] <> manazarcin yadda kwakwalwa ke fahimtar abubuwa, Jubin Abutalebi, [546]

at the University of San Raffaele in Milan, [547] <> da ke jami’ar San Raffaele a Milan, [548]

it is possible to distinguish bilingual people from monolinguals [549] <> ana iya gane masu jin harshe daya da masu jin harsuna biyu [550]

simply by looking at scans of their brains. [551] <> ta hanyar kallon hotunan kwakwalwarsu. [552]

“Bilingual people have significantly more grey matter than monolinguals in their anterior cingulate cortex, and that is because they are using it so much more often,” he says. [553] <> Ya ce: “Bangaren ACC na kwakwalwar masu jin harsuna biyu yafi na masu jin harshe daya girma, saboda yawan atisayen da su ke masa.” [554]

The ACC is like a cognitive muscle, he adds: the more you use it, the stronger, bigger and more flexible it gets. [555] <> Misali asalin yaren Thomas Bak shi ne harshen Poland, ya na Spananci da matarsa, kuma su na zaune a Edinburgh don haka ya na jin Ingilishi. Ya ce: [556]

Bilinguals, it turns out, exercise their executive control all the time because their two languages are constantly competing for attention. Brain-imaging studies show that when a bilingual person is speaking in one language, their ACC is continually suppressing the urge to use words and grammar from their other language. Not only that, but their mind is always making a judgement about when and how to use the target language. For example, bilinguals rarely get confused between languages, but they may introduce the odd word or sentence of the other language if the person they are talking to also knows it. [557] <> “Idan ina yi wa matata Ingilishi, na kan tsarma kalmomin Spananci, [558]

“My mother tongue is Polish but my wife is Spanish so I also speak Spanish, and we live in Edinburgh so we also speak English,” says Thomas Bak. [559] <> N/A [560]

“When I am talking to my wife in English, I will sometimes use Spanish words, [561] <> Kuma idan ina yi wa ta magana da Spananci ba na kuskuren cusa kalmomin Ingilishi saboda na san ba ta ji. [562]

but I never accidentally use Polish. [563] <> amma ban taba kuskuren yi mata harshen Poland ba. [564]

And when I am speaking to my wife’s mother in Spanish, I never accidentally introduce English words because she doesn’t understand them. [565] <> N/A [566]

It’s not something I have to think about, [567] <> Ba wai kuma tsaya na ke in yi wani dogon tunani ba, [568]

it’s automatic, but my executive system is working very hard to inhibit the other languages.” [569] <> Hakika wannan wata babbar ni’ima ce ga masu jin harsuna biyu amma babbar ni’imar ita ce: jin harsuna biyu na dakile gigin tsufa. [570]

For bilinguals, with their exceptionally buff executive control, the flanker test is just a conscious version of what their brains do subconsciously all day long – it’s no wonder they are good at it. [571] <> N/A [572]

A superior ability to concentrate, solve problems and focus, better mental flexibility and multitasking skills are, of course, valuable in everyday life. [573] <> N/A [574]

But perhaps the most exciting benefit of bilingualism occurs in ageing, when executive function typically declines: bilingualism seems to protect against dementia. [575] <> N/A [576]

Psycholinguist Ellen Bialystok made the surprising discovery [577] <> Masaniyar dangantakar harshe da kwakwalwa Ellen Bialystok ce ta gano hakan [578]

at York University in Toronto [579] <> a jami’ar York da ke Toronto [580]

while she was comparing [581] <> lokacin da ta kwatanta [582]

an ageing population of monolinguals [583] <> tsakanin tsofaffi masu jin harshe daya tak [584]

and bilinguals. [585] <> da masu jin harsuna biyu. [586]

“The bilinguals showed [587] <> Ta ce: “Masu jin harshe daya tak kan riga masu jin harsuna biyu [588]

symptoms of Alzheimer’s some four to five years after monolinguals with the same disease pathology,” she says. [589] <> fara gigin tsufa da kusan shekaru hudu zuwa biyar.” [590]

Being bilingual didn’t prevent people from getting dementia, but it delayed its effects, so in two people whose brains showed similar amounts of disease progression, the bilingual would show symptoms an average of five years after the monolingual. Bialystok thinks this is because bilingualism rewires the brain and improves the executive system, boosting people’s “cognitive reserve”. It means that as parts of the brain succumb to damage, bilinguals can compensate more because they have extra grey matter and alternative neural pathways. [591] <> Haka kuma jin harsuna biyu kan bada kariya ga wadanda su ka samu rauni a kwakwalwa. [592]

“Bilinguals use their frontal processors for tasks that monolinguals don’t and so these processors become reinforced and better in the frontal lobe. And this is used to compensate during degeneration of the middle parts of the brain,” Bialystok explains. However, it is no good simply to have learned a little French at school. The effect depends on how often you use your bilingual skill. “The more you use it, the better,” she says, “but there’s no breaking point, it’s a continuum.” [593] <> N/A [594]

Bilingualism can also offer protection after brain injury. [595] <> N/A [596]

In a recent study of 600 stroke survivors in India, [597] <> A wani bincike na baya bayan nan da a ka gudanar kan mutane 600 da su ka warke daga cutar bugun zuciya a India, [598]

Bak discovered that cognitive recovery was twice as likely for bilinguals as for monolinguals. [599] <> Bak ya gano cewa masu jin harsuna biyu sun fi masu jin harshe daya tak saurin farfadowa. [600]

Such results suggest bilingualism helps keep us mentally fit. It may even be an advantage that evolution has positively selected for in our brains – an idea supported by the ease with which we learn new languages and flip between them, and by the pervasiveness of bilingualism throughout world history. Just as we need to do physical exercise to maintain the health of bodies that evolved for a physically active hunter-gatherer lifestyle, perhaps we ought to start doing more cognitive exercises to maintain our mental health, especially if we only speak one language. [601] <> Ko da yake wasu masanan sun musanta wadannan alfanun na iya yaruka da dama, [602]

In recent years, there has been a backlash against the studies showing benefits from bilingualism. Some researchers tried and failed to replicate some of the results; others questioned the benefits of improved executive function in everyday life. [603] <> Bak ya yi musu martani da cewa sun tafka kurakurai a hanyoyin da su ka bi wurin nazarinsu. Haka kuma babu daya a cikinsu da ya ce hakan na da illa. Wato dai akalla ko babu karin lafiya, akwai karuwar zamantakewa. [604]

Bak wrote a rejoinder to the published criticisms, and says there is now overwhelming evidence from psychological experiments backed by imaging studies that bilingual and monolingual brains function differently. He says the detractors have made errors in their experimental methods. [605] <> N/A [606]

Bialystok agrees, adding that it is impossible to examine whether bilingualism improves a child’s school exam results because there are so many confounding factors. But, she says, “given that at the very least it makes no difference – and no study has ever shown it harms performance – considering the very many social and cultural benefits to knowing another language, bilingualism should be encouraged”. As for the financial benefits, one estimate puts the value of knowing a second language at up to $128,000 over 40 years. [607] <> N/A [608]

The result of my test in Athanasopoulos’s lab suggests that just 45 minutes of trying to understand another language can improve cognitive function. His study is not yet complete, but other research has shown that these benefits of learning a language can be achieved quickly. The problem is, they disappear again unless they are used – and I am unlikely to use the made-up snowflake language ever again! Learning a new language is not the only way to improve executive function – playing video games, learning a musical instrument, even certain card games can help – but because we use language all the time, it’s probably the best executive-function exerciser there is. [609] <> N/A [610]

So how can this knowledge be applied in practice? [611] <> To ko ta wacce hanya za a iya amfani da wannan ilimi? [612]

One option is to teach children in different languages. [613] <> Hanya ta farko ita ce a koya wa yara harsuna da yawa. [614]

In many parts of the world, this is already being done: [615] <> A kasashe da yawa na duniya, dama abinda ake yi ke nan: [616]

many Indian children, for example, will use a different language in school from their mother or village tongue. [617] <> misali yaran India na koyon karatu a yaren da ba shi su ke yi a gida ba. [618]

But in English-speaking nations, it is rare. [619] <> Amma a kasashen da ke amfani da Ingilishi, ba a cika samun hakan ba. [620]

Nevertheless, there is a growing movement towards so-called immersion schooling, in which children are taught in another language half the time. The state of Utah has been pioneering the idea, with many of its schools now offering immersion in Mandarin Chinese or Spanish. [621] <> Amma dai yanzu akwai masu gwadawa, kamar jihar Utah ta Amurka inda ake koyar da yara da harshen Mandarin na China or kuma Spananci. [622]

“We use a half-day model, so the target language is used to teach in the morning, [623] <> “Mu kan koyar da su da bakon yare da safe, [624]

and then English is used in the afternoon – then this is swapped on other days as some learn better in the morning and some in the afternoon,” explains Gregg Roberts, who works with the Utah Office of State Education and has championed immersion language teaching in the state. [625] <> da yamma kuma mu yi mu su Ingilishi, washe gari kuma sai a juya saboda wasu sun fi koyon karatu da safe, wasu kuma da yamma,” in ji Gregg Roberts, jami’i a ma’aikatar ilimi ta Utah wanda ya ke kula da wannan tsarin. [626]

“We have found that the kids do as well and generally better than monolingual counterparts in all subjects. They are better at concentrating, focusing and have a lot more self-esteem. Anytime you understand another language, you understand your language and culture better. It is economically and socially beneficial. We need to get over our affliction with monolingualism.” [627] <> Ya kuma ce sun gano yaran da ke amfani da harsuna biyu sun fi mai da hankali da fahimtar karatu fiye da masu amfani da harshe daya tak. [628]

The immersion approach is being trialled in the UK now, too. [629] <> A yanzu an fara gwajin wannan tsarin na darasi a harsuna biyu a Ingila. [630]

At Bohunt secondary school in Liphook, Hampshire, [631] <> A makarantar sakandaren Bohunt da ke Liphook, Hampshire, [632]

head teacher Neil Strowger has [633] <> hedimasta Neil Strowger [634]

introduced Chinese-language immersion for a few lessons. [635] <> ya kaddamar da tsarin koyar da wasu darassun da harshen Mandarin na China. [636]

I sit in on an art class with 12-year-olds being taught by two teachers: one speaking English, the other Chinese. The children are engaged but quiet, concentrating on the task of learning multiple ideas. When they speak it is often in Chinese – and there is something rather surreal about watching young people in the UK discussing British graffiti artist Banksy in Mandarin. The children say they chose to learn in Chinese because they thought it would be “fun” and “interesting” and “useful” – a far cry from the dreary French lessons I endured at school. [637] <> Strowger ya ce daliban sun kara kokari, kuma sun samu jarin rayuwa tun da yanzu za su iya huldar kasuwanci da sauran kasashen Asiya fiye da masu jin Ingilishi kawai. [638]

The majority of the art class will take their Chinese GCSE exams several years early but Strowger tells me the programme has had many benefits in addition to their grades, including improving students’ engagement and enjoyment, increasing their awareness of other cultures so that they are equipped as global citizens, widening their horizons, and improving their job prospects. [639] <> N/A [640]

What about those of us who have left school? [641] <> To mu kuma da mu ka kammala makaranta an bar mu a tasha ke nan? [642]

In order to maintain the benefits of bilingualism, you need to use your languages and that can be tricky, especially for older people who may not have many opportunities to practise. Perhaps we need language clubs, where people can meet to speak other languages. [643] <> Amfanin ilimi dai aiki da shi, don haka ga masu son amfanuwa da jin harsuna biyu kuma ba su da damar tattaunawa da masu jin yaren, za su iya yin dabarar kafa dandalin hira da yaren da su ka koya. [644]

Bak has done a small pilot study [645] <> Bak ya yi wani binciken gwaji [646]

with elderly people [647] <> da wasu tsofaffi [648]

learning Gaelic in Scotland [649] <> masu koyon harshen Gaelic a Scotland [650]

and seen significant benefits after just one week. [651] <> kuma cikin mako guda da kafa dandalin hirar ya ga kwakwalensu sun fara samun ci gaba. [652]

Now he aims to carry out a much larger trial. [653] <> Yanzu dai ya na shirin zai kara zurfafa binciken. [654]

It is never too late to learn another tongue, [655] <> Duk mai son koyon sabon yare dai bai makara ba, [656]

and it can be very rewarding. [657] <> kuma zai cimma moriya da yawa, [658]

Alex Rawlings is a British professional polyglot who speaks 15 languages: [659] <> in ji Alex Rawlings wani mutumin Burtaniya wanda ya kware a harsuna 15. [660]

“Each language gives you a whole new lifestyle, a whole new shade of meaning,” he says. “It’s addictive!” [661] <> Ya ce: “Kowanne harshe kan bude maka wata sabuwar rayuwa da kuma wata sabuwar hanyar kallon al’amura.” Ya kara da cewa: [662]

“People say it’s too hard as an adult. [663] <> “Mutane kan ce wai koyon sabon harshe na da wuya idan ka girma [664]

But I would say it’s much easier [665] <> amma ina ganin yafi sauki [666]

after the age of eight. [667] <> bayan ka haura shekaru takwas. [668]

It takes three years for a baby to learn a language, [669] <> Jariri na daukar shekaru uku kafin ya koyi yare [670]

but just months for an adult.” [671] <> amma babba zai iya cikin watanni.” [672]

As the recent research shows, [673] <> Kamar dai yadda bincike ya nuna, [674]

that’s a worthwhile investment of time. Being bilingual could keep our minds working longer and better into old age, which could have a massive impact on how we school our children and treat older people. In the meantime, it makes sense to talk, hablar, parler, sprechen, beszel, berbicara in as many languages as you can. [675] <> iya harsuna biyu zai bai wa kwakwalwarmu damar aiki da kyau har zuwa tsufa don haka ba karamar dabara ba ce ka koyi yadda za ka yi magana, hablar, parler, sprechen, beszel, berbicara, a cikin iya yarukan da za ka iya koya. [676]