Update: different languages, different mindsets?

Hey, guys... just wanted to follow up on the whole bilingualism issue. Check out Alison and Erica's comments under the post "Different Languages, Different Mindsets?". Alison links us to a couple of particularly relevant studies of that confirm our sense that different parts of the brain are used for L1 and L2 (which apparently is always true, no matter how fluent you become in L2?)--and that seems to explain the difficulty we have in switching back from one language to another, particularly after a long period of time (when we immerse ourselves in one language for a long time, it's hard to get back out!).

Anyway, on the subject of language immersion, I guess I wanted to throw out a related question... I'm wondering what role cultural immersion plays neurologically when using and "getting into" an L2. (Current language pedagogy insists on cultural fluency as a vital part of foreign language learning; we tell ourselves that the best way to learn a language is to go abroad and immerse ourselves in the culture of the place; and even Senor Damken imparts the mantra to us: "Grammar and culture mesh.") I could be wrong, but I think the Chomsky types would say that culture actually plays a minimal role (seeking to erase that perception of language as being an outgrowth of culture) in achieving fluency. I'm not sure if the linguistics benefits of being abroad go beyond simply having a steady stream of authentic, varied input in L2. If we could recreate that situation in the United States, and just surround a test subject with native speakers of the subject's second language (so that the L2 only was spoken around the test subject for an extended period of time)... I wonder if having that experience in the United States vs. in the foreign country would make any difference in how involved the test subject became in the language (cognitively speaking) and whether or not the test subject acquired the same kind of fluency he would abroad (i.e. immersed in the culture). Desperately seeking research...

Also check out this video on TED. Susan Savage-Rumbaugh works with bonobo apes that have acquired written language! The whole thing is really interesting (the apes also seem to understand human language--English in this case), but things start getting really crazy around 10:55, where she shows us clips of the apes using lexical symbols to communicate with humans! The conclusion she draws from this is somewhat spottier, I think. My sense is that maybe bonobo apes tell us that humans aren't the only species with a language gene--or the capacity to acquire language, however it is built-in. By contrast, Savage-Rumbaugh seems to believe that, in light of the bonobos' abilities, we must reconsider whether our talents (language, writing, etc.) are biologically-programmed and unique to us, or whether they're a function of exposure to culture. She's right in that writing is, in fact, a cultural invention rather than a hard-wired ability. But I'm still not willing to attribute the bonobos' ability to acquire language to culture/socialization.

--Amy