Bilingualism and Psycholinguistics Research Laboratory

Media Coverage

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF MEDIA COVERAGE, CLICK HERE.

Featured

The Next Big Idea Club. The Power of Language: How the Codes We Use to Think, Speak, and Live Transform Our Minds. April 13, 2023.

ABC 7 News. Could Artificial Intelligence Eliminate Languages? April 20, 2023.

The Dr. Drew Podcast. Viorica Marian. September 27, 2023.

KERA Think. Want to strengthen your brain? Learn another language. April 10, 2023.

What the Parent? Viorica Marian Talks About Her Book, The Power of Language, and Why We (and our Kids) Should Learn Another Language. April 6, 2023.

The New Scientist. The Power of Language: What Speaking Many Languages Can Do. April 12, 2023.

Euronews. “The Power of Language”: 5 ways multilingual brains work differently. April 5, 2023.

• Translated into French for Euronews France. April 27, 2023.
• Translated into Spanish for Euronews Spain. April 6, 2023.
• Republished in Yahoo! News UK. April 5, 2023.

Fast Company. Bilingual? You should try thinking problems through in two languages. March 31, 2023.

• Translated into French for Slate. April 3, 2023.

Listen

Science Friday. Speaking Multiple Languages Changes The Way You Think. December 1, 2023.

Where Parents Talk. Raising a bilingual or multilingual child. October 19, 2023.

Breaking Boundaries. Multilingualism in the Era of AI with Viorica Marian and Morten Christiansen. September 30, 2023.

The Dr. Drew Podcast. Viorica Marian. September 27, 2023.

The Next Big Idea Club. The Power of Language: How the Codes We Use to Think, Speak, and Live Transform Our Minds. April 13, 2023.

How To Academy. Viorica Marian – How the Languages We Speak Changes How We Think. July 8, 2023.

What the Parent? Viorica Marian Talks About Her Book, The Power of Language, and Why We (and our Kids) Should Learn Another Language. April 6, 2023.

KERA Think. Want to strengthen your brain? Learn another language. April 10, 2023.

Wisconsin Public Radio. How Languages of All Sorts Unlock Our Brain’s Potential. April 19, 2023.

Kansas Public Radio – Conversations. The Power of Language – How the Codes We Use to Think, Speak, and Live Transform Our Minds. April 20, 2023.

Ozarks at Large. Understanding the value of bilingualism. June 8, 2023.

Nancy’s Bookshelf. The power of language with Viorica Marian. May 10, 2023.

Shine On! Kacey’s Health and Happiness Show. Learning and breathing. May 4, 2023.

Utah Public Radio. “The Power of Language” with Viorica Marian. March 30, 2023.

Utah Public Radio. El poder del lenguaje. April 5, 2023.

KNX News Radio Los Angeles. Will AI speed up the disappearance of lesser-known languages? April 20, 2023.

The Mountain Life. The Bilingual Brain. April 12, 2023.

Multilingual Montessori. Episode 39: The Power of Language with Viorica Marian. April 12, 2023.

Write On! Radio. Interview with Dr. Viorica Marian. April 11, 2023.

Jennifer and Wendy Show. Viorica Marian – Power of Language. April 10, 2023.

Talk Louisiana. Viorica Marian, Chief Murphy Paul, Mark Ballard, Glen Bynum. April 6, 2023.

The Exchange. Interview with Professor Viorica Marian. April 6, 2023.

WVON Morning Show. Interview with Professor Marian. April 6, 2023.

Life Elsewhere. The Power of Language. April 6, 2023.

95X Morning Show with Rick and Thomas. Interview about bilingualism and cognition. April 6, 2023.

Walk Me Through. S2E7: Walk me through bilingualism. February 24, 2023. To listen to Professor Marian’s part, tune in at 24:40.

Telemundo Dallas Descifrando La Ciencia. Episodio 24: Hablar varios idiomas y tu cerebro. Matias Fernandez-Duque discusses how speaking multiple languages changes the brain. July 22, 2022

Nuances Podcast. Episode 11. Dr. Ashley Chung-Fat-Yim on how bilingual brains’ differ from monolinguals’, and how bilingualism improves performance at other tasks. July 10, 2022.

KQED News. The Benefits of Learning a New Language (According to Experts).  May 9, 2019.

Smart Drug Smarts Podcast. Episode #227: How language affects thought. May 14, 2018. Click here to listen.

Higher Ed Social. Episode 115. Bilingualism and cognition. June 7, 2018.

talkRADIO. The Late Late Early Early Show with Paul Ross. On learning another language. May 3, 2018. Click here to listen.

Voice of Islam: Drive Time. Dying Languages. On the cognitive and emotional effects of bilingualism. March 14, 2018. Click here to listen.

BBC. Benefits of bilingualism. On language co-activation and consequences of bilingualism. May 16, 2016. Click here to listen.

KIQI 1010 San Francisco & KATD 990 Sacramento. On Attitudes towards and consequences of bilingualism. March 18, 2015. Click here to listen.

Watch

HeLPiNG Questions. The Transformative Power of Language. December 1, 2023.

Early Learning Nation. Following the Science, Bilingualism as an Asset Supporting Early Brain Development. June 6, 2023.

ABC 7 News. Could Artificial Intelligence Eliminate Languages? April 20, 2023.

CBS News. Alderman, alderperson, alderwoman? The great City Council debate continues. May 11, 2023.

Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. “The Power of Language” Book Talk with Dr. Viorica Marian. April 17, 2023.

Northwestern SOC Interview, May 13, 2019.

Chicago Tonight Interview, May 24, 2018.

Moldova Times Interview, January 30, 2017.

TV Moldova, Prima Ora Interview, November 29, 2016.

WGN Evening News, Chicago, November 12, 2014.

ITV, Buzz60. Colbertian Language Study, St. Louis, MO, AOL On. July 16, 2012.

Read

The Ritz Herald. Exploring the benefits of multilingualism in today’s world. December 7, 2023.

Indianapolis Recorder Magazine. Holiday book gift guide. November 22, 2023.

Language Magazine. Bilingualism and Memory Recall. October 12, 2023.

The Next Big Idea Club. 7 new books on the quirky side of language. September 25, 2023.

Index. A nyelvtudás megváltoztatja az emlékezetet. September 10, 2023.

Aktual24. A fi bilingv iti afecteaza perceptia vizuala si memoria. September 5, 2023.

Big Think. Being bilingual affects your visual perception and memory. September 4, 2023.

Morning Star. I’m a jam doughnut. September 4, 2023.

Sciences et Avenir. Le bilinguisme améliore la mémoire visuelle grâce à l’activation de “mots concurrents.” August 30, 2023.

• Republished in Yahoo News France. August 30, 2023.

Tagesschau. Fremdsprachen helfen dem Gedächtnis. August 29, 2023.

Neuroscience News. Bilingual brain boost: How knowing two languages enhances memory and prediction. August 27, 2023.

Financial Times. The pleasures of bilingual reading. August 24, 2023.

Tek Crispy. Detrás del cerebro bilingüe: ¿Por qué los hablantes de varios idiomas memorizan mejor? August 23, 2023.

News Directory 3. The cognitive benefits of bilingualism: Improving memory and cognitive functioning. August 22, 2023.

Puls.bg. Полиглотите имат по-добра памет. August 22, 2023.

The Jerusalem Post. How does bilingualism impact memory? – Study. August 21, 2023.

Tech Explorist. Objects with similar sounds are easier to remember. August 21, 2023.

El País. “Un idioma es una forma de ver el mundo”: Las personas que hablan distintas lenguas memorizan major. August 19, 2023.

Northwestern Now. Was it a tortoise, or a torte? Study finds overlapping sounds can cue memory across languages. August 18, 2023.

• Republished in Mirage News. August 17, 2023.

Scinexx. Wie Sprache unser visuelles Gedächtnis beeinflusst. August 18, 2023.

The Conversation. Why bilinguals have a memory advantage – New research. August 16, 2023.

• Republished in ThePrint. August 17, 2023.
• Republished in DevDiscourse. August 17, 2023.
• Republished in The Strait Times. August 17, 2023.
• Republished in The Indian Express. August 18, 2023.
• Republished in Medical Xpress. August 19, 2023.
• Republished in The Wire. August 20, 2023.
• Republished and translated into German in Germanic Nachrichten. August 20, 2023.

The Linguist, the professional journal of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL). The Power of Language. Summer 2023.

The Times Literary Supplement. Speaking in tongues. August 11, 2023.

The Daily News of Newburyport. As I see it: Language builds and divides culture. August 7, 2023.

Early Learning Nation. 5 Top Takeaways: Following the Science on Bilingualism. July 5, 2023.

New Scientist. Best science books and must-reads for your next break. June 21, 2023.

Harvard Business Review. The Power of Words. June 16, 2023.

Homeschool Spanish Academy. Are bilingual students smarter? June 16, 2023.

Inc. 13 Psychology Books to Read This Summer to Understand Humans Way Better. June 14, 2023.

Santa Fe New Mexican. Expanding language beyond English benefit brains. July 11, 2023.

Barron News-Shield. 2010s: The benefits of bilingualism and biliteracy gain recognition through numerous studies. June 6, 2023.

Purdue Exponent. How English-language learner education has changed since the 1950s. June 5, 2023.

Behavioral Scientist. Behavioral Scientist’s Summer Book List 2023. June 5, 2023.

The Next Big Idea Club. 7 Books that Reveal the Wonders of Writing and Language. June 3, 2023.

The India Times. Yes, haan, athe. Our multi-lingual world is a gift. May 21, 2023.

The Washington Post. AI, Indigenous languages and cocaine hippos. April 21, 2023.

The New Scientist. The Power of Language: What Speaking Many Languages Can Do. April 12, 2023.

Dialogue. Exploring the bilingual brain. Winter, 2023.

KERA Think. Want to Strengthen Your Brain? Learn Another Language. April 10, 2023.

Alaska Commons. The Impact of Speaking Multiple Languages On the Mind. April 6, 2023.

Euronews. “The Power of Language”: 5 ways multilingual brains work differently. April 5, 2023.

• Translated into French for Euronews France. April 27, 2023.
• Republished in Yahoo! News UK. April 5, 2023.

Literature Hub. 23 New Books Out Today. April 4, 2023.

Psychology Today. For bilinguals, identity is influenced by language. April 3, 2023.

• Translated into Spanish for Psychology Today. April 5, 2023.

Fast Company. Bilingual? You should try thinking problems through in two languages. March 31, 2023.

• Translated into French for Slate. April 3, 2023.

Northwestern Now. Why Multilingualism is a “Superpower” March 24, 2023.

• Republished in Phys.org, March 27, 2023.

Publishers Weekly. Nonfiction Summer 2023 Reads. March 24, 2023.

Next Big Idea Club. April 2023 Must-Read Books. February 16, 2023.

Publishers Weekly. The Power of Language: How the Codes We Use to Think, Speak, and Live Transform our Minds. February 14, 2023.

Early Learning Nation. Bilingualism is a resource, not a disability. Education professionals need to follow the science. February 1, 2023.

Kirkus Reviews. The Power of Language: How the Codes We Use to Think, Speak, and Live Transform our Minds. January 25, 2023.

CelebWell. Love Island’s Lana Jenkins Just Shared Swimsuit Photo: “Here’s Some Sunshine” July 18, 2023.

IR Insider. European Union agrees to begin examining accession for Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia. March 10, 2022.

Medical News Today. Vaccine hesitancy: Why language matters. January 18, 2022.

Discover Magazine. How learning a language changes your brain. May 5, 2021.

Lancaster Online. US children should be taught a second language. December 13, 2020.

Dialogue. Seeing the world through a bilingual brain. Winter, 2019.

Experience Life. Why adults can — and should — learn a second language. June, 2018.

Chicago Tribune. The other Yanny vs. Laurel: How learning a 2nd language alters sensory perception. May 25, 2018.

Northwestern News. Learning a second language alters sensory perception, study finds. May 11, 2018.

World Economic Forum. Speaking more than one language can boost economic growth. February 6, 2018.

Bilingualism Matters. Myths and Misconceptions in Multilingualism. November 22, 2017.

Medical News Today. Bilingualism: What happens in the brain? October 4, 2017.

Psychology Today. When you see objects, you think words. June 23, 2015.

Northwestern Magazine. Benefits of bilingualism. Spring, 2015.

Huffington Post. Bilingual people may have more efficient brains. November 13, 2014.

The Economist. Variety makes you (mentally) fit. October 17, 2014.

The Santa Barbara Independent. The bilingual advantage. February 6, 2014.

Psychology Today. When bilinguals listen. September 21, 2013.

Psychology Today. Forgotten? Try your other language. July 3, 2013.

The Neuron Club. Cerebrum article. November 2, 2012.

New Scientist. Bilingual brain boost: Two tongues, two minds. May 8, 2012.

Our research on the bilingual brain (top of page)

FrMedBook. Bilinguisme: Que se passe-t-il dans le cerveau? June 13, 2018.

Daily Journal. School desk: The power of being bilingual. September 29, 2017

Washington Post. Study shows that people who speak two languages have more efficient brains. November 18, 2014.

Discovery News. Bilingual people are like brain ‘bodybuilders’. November 13, 2014.

Fox News. People who speak two languages have more efficient brains, study says. November 13, 2014.

Medical Daily. Bilingual benefits: How learning another language keeps your mind sharp, no matter your age. November 12, 2014.

Northwestern News. Bilingual brains better equipped to process information. November 7. 2014.

La Presse. Le cerveau des gens bilingues traite mieux l’information. November 12, 2014.

Scinexx. Zweisprachigkeit wirkt wie Gehirnjogging. November 13, 2014.

Live Science, PBS, Daily Mail, TIME, El Castellano, Scope Stanford Medicine, Government Executive, ScienceBlog, Tech Times, Counsel Heal, Medical Xpress, Laboratory Equipment, ECN Magazine, Big News Network, Voice of America, Yahoo News, Quartz, News Medical, Journal Metro, Red Orbit, Rujhaan, Twitter, Top Sante, Metro TV News, Pikiran Rakyat, BeritaSatu, RTL Belgium, Tribun News, Boas Noticias, VOA, Forskning .No, The Post Online, SBS Australia, TVcN, IOL, The Daily Northwestern, Inquisitr, Chief Learning Officer, Language Magazine, Biyoloji Günlüğü, Idiomatica, Golden Island Senorita

Our research on audio-visual integration in bilinguals (top of page)

Mind News. Bilingual people are better at sensory perception: Study. July 9, 2018.

Boston Herald. Language helps determine what we hear. June 1, 2018.

The Peterborough Examiner. The Yanny vs. Laurel question. May 31, 2018.

Valdosta Daily Times. The other Yanny vs. Laurel: How learning a 2nd language alters sensory perception. May 30, 2018.

N+1. Билингвы услышали больше иллюзорных звуков из-за эффекта Макгурка. May 15, 2018.

Neuroscience News. Learning a second language alters sensory perception. May 14, 2018.

Daily Mail. Learning a second language can alter sensory perception: Study shows the ability makes you hear different sounds than monolingual people. May 14, 2018.

News Medical. Study: Learning a second language can change sensory perception. May 14, 2018.

Reliawire. Sensory perception is altered by learning a second language. May 14, 2018.

Medical Xpress. Learning a second language alters sensory perception, study finds. May 14, 2018.

Newswise. Learning a second language alters sensory perception, study finds. May 11, 2018.

Breaking News Time, Looooker, Next Observer, Fact New, Fourth Ventricle, Viral Global News, 15 Minute News, Knowridge, Bristol Herald Courier, The Pueblo Chieftain, Decatur Daily, The Hamilton Spectator, The Virgin Islands Daily News, Reading Eagle, Natural News, Brain News, Mind Body Science News, Research News, Nature Knows

Our research on neural and executive changes in bilinguals (top of page)

Experience Life. Why adults can – and should – learn a second language. June, 2018.

BBC News. Bilingual children ‘show advantage’ in noisy classrooms. October 13, 2014.

The Telegraph. Bilingual pupils ‘outperform their peers in noisy lessons’. October 14, 2014.

Huffington Post. Why it makes more sense than you know to learn a second language. June 13, 2013.

U.S. News & World Report. More evidence bilingualism aids thinking skills. April 30, 2012.

The Atlantic. Bilingualism may boost attention, working memory. May 23, 2012.

BBC News. Being bilingual ‘boosts brain power’. May 1, 2012.

NBC Latino. Being bilingual improves ear function, says study. April 30, 2012.

Health Magazine. More evidence bilingualism aids thinking skills. April 30, 2012.

The Guardian, MTL Blog, Metro, Headline & Global News (HNGN), Scientific American Blog, Repubblica, Italy, News.Nederlands (NU.NL), Wall Street Journal, National Institutes of Health, Center for Applied Second Language Studies, The ASHA Leader, The Washington Post, Wired, Association for Psychological Science, The Wall Street Journal Blog, Daily Northwestern, TopNews Arab Emirates, Science 360, Evanston Now, MedIndia, EurekAlert!, Science Codex, Northwestern University News Center, Science Daily, Pedia Staff, MedicalXpress, Breaking News English, Modern Ghana, The Daily Star, Many Years Young, UK Wired News, Everyday Health, Medicine Net, Drugs.com, DoctorsLounge.com, Education Week, Hartford Courant, Healthcare Today, BelleNews, Quantum Day, EurekAlert!, EuroGraduate, Net Doctor, Therapy Toronto News, SI English

Our research on language learning and control in bilinguals and monolinguals (Colbertian language) in the news (top of page)

Northwestern University News Center. Colbert helps open doors to bilingual research. July 9, 2012.

Los Angeles Times. Bilingualism: Stephen Colbert’s ‘truthiness’ inspires a language. July 13, 2012.

NBC. Researchers name invented language after Stephen Colbert. NBC Miami, NBC San Diego, NBC Philadelphia, NBC Bay Area, NBC Connecticut, NBC Southern California, NBC New York, NBC Washington, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. July 11, 2012.

Evanston Now. Colbert helps open doors to bilingual research. July 10, 2012.

United Press International. New language inspired by Colbert. July 11, 2012.

Global Post. Colbertian: New language named after Stephen Colbert. July 11, 2012.

Colbertian News Hub. Researchers at Northwestern invent Colbertian. July 12, 2012.

Bilingualism Research Today. Linguistic link: Learn to speak Colbertian. July 12, 2012.

Comedy Central. Habla Colbertian? 2012.

New York Post. Weird but true. July 11, 2012.

Chicago Tribune. Stephen Colbert: The academic world’s obsession. July 11, 2012.

Our research on the bilingual advantage in language learning (top of page)

Northwestern University News Center. Exposure to two languages carries far-reaching benefits. May 20, 2009.

News Miner. Languages of the world get a taste of the mango. July 5, 2010.

AAAS EurekAlert! Exposure to 2 languages carries far-reaching benefits. May 19, 2009.

Headlines India. Bilinguals pick up foreign language faster. May 20, 2009.

Thaindian News. Bilinguals more adept in picking up foreign languages. May 20, 2009.

Medical News Today. The far-reaching benefits of exposure to 2 languages. May 20, 2009.

More about our lab research in the news (top of page)

CNN. How language is processed by your brain. August 16, 2016.

The Daily Northwestern. ISA hosts discussion on importance of bilingualism. November 10, 2011.

Northwestern University School of Communication. Viewbook. September 2011. [pdf]

Wikipedia: State-dependent learning, Context-dependent memory, Encoding specificity principle, Multilingualism.

United Press International. Commentary: Unique cues can bolster bilingual fluency. October 29, 2003.

Northwestern Magazine. Ru n2 im? Winter 2003.

APA Monitor on Psychology. Remembering in tongues. November 2000.

On social media (top of page)

Chicago Tribune. Going viral: The good, the bad, and the food for thought. May 22, 2018.

Republished in:

• Los Angeles Times, May 22, 2018.
• Arizona Daily Star, May 29, 2018.
• Tampa Bay Times, May 25, 2018.
• The Columbus Telegram, May 24, 2018.
• Bozeman Daily Chronicle, May 25, 2018.
• Star Tribune, May 25, 2018.
• The Keene Sentinel, May 27, 2018.
• Canton Rep, May 25, 2018.
• Muscatine Journal, May 24, 2018.
• The Chippewa Herald, May 24, 2018
• La Crosse Tribune, May 24, 2018.
• Wopopular, May 22, 2018.
• World News, May 27, 2018.
• Scribd, May 25, 2018.
• The Gulf Today, May 28, 2018.
• Atlantic Broadband, May 25, 2018.
• Blue Ridge, May 25, 2018.
• The Roanoke Times, May 24, 2018.
• Viral News Gossip, June 6, 2018.
• Synacor, May 25, 2018.
• American News, May 24, 2018.

Madmoizelle. Les trouvailles d’Internet pour bien commencer la semaine #365. May 14, 2018.

Daily Mail. College professor goes viral with witty tweet about how many of her students’ grandparents ‘died’ when class was at 8am instead of 3pm, as she jokes that she ‘saved lives’ by changing the time. May 11, 2018.

LongRoom. Professor says grandparents died the semester she taught an 8am class. May 11, 2018.

Mandatory. This Week’s 20 Funniest Tweets 5-11-18. May 11, 2018.

The Herald. Ken Smith’s Diary: Spin a yarn; Having a word; Gingerly speaking. May 6, 2018.

Other (top of page)

The National Herald. We are what we speak: A case for learning Greek. August 15, 2020.

The Maroon. Opinion: Perhaps the most important skill Loyola can provide has little institutional support. January 22, 2020.

Narcity. Meghan & Prince Harry’s Move To Canada May Mean Archie Won’t Have His Father’s Accent.  January 13, 2020.

Bustle. Will Archie have an English accent or an American one? Here’s what two experts say. May 20, 2019.

The University of Edinburgh. Centres spread word on bilingualism benefits. March 19, 2019.

Northwestern DevSci Newsletter. DevSci Student Data Blitz. March 18, 2019.

Northwestern Now. New research center to support Chicago’s bilingual population. March 14, 2019.

The Native Influence, Viorica Marian. January 7, 2019.

Psy.CO. ¿Olvidado? Pruebe su otro idioma. June, 2018.

Stiri Pozitive, Profesoara moldoveanca din SUA, November 13, 2016.

Green & Gold News, Alumni of Distinction: Viorica Marian, September 2, 2015.

Flacara TV, Diaspora moldava din SUA, May 1, 2015.