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The Power of Language review: What speaking many languages can do

Through staving off dementia symptoms, boosting brainpower and even being a different version of yourself, speaking many languages is a great strategy for life, argues a new book from Viorica Marian

By Vijaysree Venkatraman

12 April 2023

Good day or good morning in different languages; Shutterstock ID 643120366; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: - — Speaking more than one language does wonders for the brain
Photopictures/Shutterstock

The Power of Language
Viorica Marian (Pelican Books/Penguin Random House)

AT THE paediatrician’s clinic, a nurse told Viorica Marian, a native speaker of Romanian, to use only English with her US-born daughter. Speaking another language would “confuse” the child and hurt her long term, the woman said. This happened more than a decade ago, yet it is still common advice for immigrants in the US. It is also completely wrong.

In her new book, The Power of Language, Marian –…

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