NELL

For decades, studies have shown that young children have a unique ability to rapidly acquire new language skills. Today’s researchers from neuroscience, psycholinguistics, and second language acquisition have been able to locate the biological foundations of this ability and measure the cognitive benefits associated with it, gaining a better understanding of the brain processes and the overall benefits bilinguals exhibit in executive functioning and general learning. The NELL game aims to create an interactive game for children ages 6-9 that will immerse them in a naturalistic language environment in order to enhance their ability to distinguish new sounds and structures, helping to ‘prime the brain’ for language learning experiences. Research shows that when specific language learning pathways are established in the brain at an early age, those pathways can facilitate the building of new language connections later in life.