title: Schizophrenia and second language acquisition.
abstract: Language acquisition involves brain processes that can be affected by lesions or dysfunctions in several brain systems and second language acquisition may depend on different brain substrates than first language acquisition in childhood. A total of 16 Russian immigrants to Israel, 8 diagnosed schizophrenics and 8 healthy immigrants, were compared. The primary data for this study were collected via sociolinguistic interviews. The two groups use language and learn language in very much the same way. Only exophoric reference and blocking revealed meaningful differences between the schizophrenics and healthy counterparts. This does not mean of course that schizophrenia does not induce language abnormalities. Our study focuses on those aspects of language that are typically difficult to acquire in second language acquisition. Despite the cognitive compromises in schizophrenia and the manifest atypicalities in language of speakers with schizophrenia, the process of acquiring a second language seems relatively unaffected by schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel. yuly1960@zahav.net.il
authors.forename: Yuly
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bersudsky
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fine
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gorjaltsan
authors.forename: Osnat
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walters
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D007802:Language; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011578:Psycholinguistics; D011932:Reading; D012426:Russia / Q000208:ethnology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology