"LANGUAGE IS ABOUT CONNECTIONS"(Five questions given by Professor Fajardo to reflect on)

1. What could Language Learning and Teaching benefit from Neurolinguistic studies?

When regarding the benefits of Neurolinguistics at the moment of teaching or learning a language, it is possible to affirm that they are linked in such a way that they can interplay in different aspects taking into account many issues that can be further explained or clarified by just looking carefully to the inter connections  among them.

Examples of these connections and relations are the influences of language processing in the brain; how some language procedures take place and the different issues that can be considered as encouraging or affecting factors at the moment of attempting to learn another language. Injuries to the lower parts of the post central area of the left hemisphere cause a syndrome in which the articulation of sounds are not possible and the person can have serious difficulty writing words, for example.

Moreover, the Neurolinguistics has a very large interest in the phonetic, morphological, grammatical and syntactical language, and also has been interested in clarifying the role that language plays in transmitting not only data but also in the influence language has on the receptor.

It is also outstanding to consider a careful look and reflection over the causes and consequences that factors that inhibit the process of learning and teaching another language because they can probably be outstanding when looking for answers about "delays" "impediments" or "obstacles" in the process of being a successful learner of a foreign/second language. It is possible to say that Neurolinguistics contemplates the possibility that there may be different functional topographies of the cerebral representation regarding distinct processes in language ​​learning: Aphasia, Dyslexia, among others. 

2. Where is Language?

This question is maybe one of the most difficult to answer at the moment. We can say that Language is everywhere like the air, like the butterflies over the grass in spring. Language is holding the hand of a couple in love or maybe it is in the mischievous look of a little kid when taking cookies without asking for one. Language can be the weird and mocking face of your mother when telling you where the things are supposed to be and you just don't see them. Language is located in the book that was written thousands of years ago and it is still in the hands of a long-haired girl sitting in the park smiling alone because maybe something funny came to her mind. Language is in the news, it is in the politician rehearsed speech or it is in the poster of a girl holding a perfume that you just can't stop looking at. I think I just can describe countless times I've seen, heard and smelt language. But if we have to be a little bit more exact, it is maybe possible to affirm that Neurolinguistically talking the language is processed in our brains, and why not? if our brain is the most complex organism ever known. We make thousands and thousands of connections just to move our hands and say "hello!" and why not if just something affects it (Broca's, Wernicke's area for instance), we can probably never understand a beautiful song while thinking about the meaning of it or while writing a poem that will be read, understood and loved by someone. 

3.What is language?

Language is about connections. It is not only a particular system of communication and it is not necessary an only-human ability. Language is nature, is not only to convey meaning by giving oral or written information since it is possible to see language as body movements, images, gestures, music, sounds etc. Moreover, I consider as a personal appreciation that Language is the true Fountain of Youth as it can immortalize everything across the years. Language is power; it is the possibility of changing other's mind, to convince a complete country to believe or act the way you want. Language can manipulate or liberate the souls, can destroy what was considered not destroyable before. Language is the representation of the human being and his remnant in history. Language is definable and indefinable at the same time, it contains so many things that you just can think of anything and language somehow has something to do there. 

4. To what extent does Neurolinguistics help to reconceptualize the meaning of language competence?

Since Neurolinguistics analyzes the language and its connections with the human brain, it can establish or state the processes which serve as functional regarding the biological capacity of a human being in one part. On the other part, NL also studies on the complex way the language is constructed through human evolution, how the first language is acquired and what can disturb or nourish the learning process of a second one.  With a big influence on what it is supposed to fit into “ability” or “capacity”, the NL can help to focus or center the attention on characteristics that can be characterized into solid language competence or the existance of a reinforcement need or special treatment application in order to get close to what a conscious and effective language competence is. Despite the concept of competence can be misunderstood only by the “capacity” it is possible to take it into account also as the “appropriate or adequate learning procedure” so It not only the capacity to learn a language what matters to NL but also what enforces or stimulates the learner in order to lead  him/her to a real language competence.