EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF BILINGUALISM ON WORKING MEMORY: A COGNITIVE LINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE

Authors

  • Muhammad Atif MS Scholar, Department of English, CUI, Islamabad Author
  • Javeria Akseer MS Scholar, Department of English, CUI, Islamabad Author
  • Rozina Ijaz MS scholar, Department of English linguistics, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63878/jalt2790

Keywords:

Bilingualism, Working Memory, Cognitive Linguistics, Executive Function, Language Processing.

Abstract

The current research presents a cognitive exploration of the issue of bilingualism and its influence on
working memory in terms of cognitive linguistic. With the help of the interdisciplinary background, the
study examines the way bilingual people process linguistic information in two languages and how the duallanguage processing affects the working memory capacity, the flexibility, and the executive control. Based
on a qualitative design, the research examines verbal activities of bilinguals, their code-switching and
semantic recall modes. The results show that bilingual people exhibit better working memory abilities on
the task which involves need of attentional control, inhibition and mental flexibility. These cognitive benefits
can be described by the fact that the language systems are always in negotiation with each other, which
promotes metalinguistic awareness and cognitive resilience. The paper has a contribution to cognitive
linguistics because it does not simply view bilingualism as a skill of communication but as a cognitive
construct shaping the memory structure and executive functions.

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Published

2025-12-26

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 04 (2025): (JALT)

Section

Articles