The people who 'see' foreign languages: How synaesthesia can help language learning

Synaesthesia is a unique neurological condition that can enhance memory and learning abilities. Recent studies suggest that individuals with synaesthesia may have an advantage when it comes to learning a second language. For instance, Smadar Frisch, a woman with synaesthesia, experiences colors associated with different words and sounds. She describes Monday as pink and the sound of an acoustic guitar as the warm yellow of honeycomb. This colorful perception helps her remember words and understand grammar patterns more effectively. Smadar discovered her talent for music and languages at a young age, and she later became a composer and sound editor. She studied several languages, including French, German, and Spanish, and found that the colors associated with these languages aided her memory. Synaesthesia is estimated to affect a small percentage of the population, and it can manifest in various forms. Some individuals may see colors when they hear sounds, while others may associate tastes with words. This condition is not considered a disorder; rather, it is a different way of perceiving the world. Smadar recalls that learning in school was overwhelming for her due to the sensory overload caused by her synaesthesia. She struggled to focus on tasks like solving equations when the numbers appeared as a psychedelic explosion of colors. However, she eventually learned to harness her synaesthetic abilities to her advantage. After discovering a book by Richard Cytowic and David Eagleman, she realized that she could use colors to help her learn languages more effectively. By developing a color-coding system, Smadar transformed her language studies from a confusing experience into an organized and enjoyable one. This approach allowed her to learn French and Spanish fluently in just two months, achieving high scores on her exams. Today, she speaks seven languages fluently and believes she can learn any language quickly and easily. Julia Simner, a researcher at the University of Sussex, conducted a study involving around 6,000 children aged six to ten. The study aimed to determine the impact of synaesthesia on language learning skills. The results showed that children with synaesthesia performed better in various areas, including vocabulary comprehension, vocabulary production, short-term memory, attention to detail, and creativity. These skills are crucial for both first and second language acquisition. Simner explains that the colors associated with letters make them more memorable, and this memorability can extend to second languages as well. The colors can transfer from one language to another, helping learners remember words in both languages. In a separate study conducted by psychologists at the University of Toronto, researchers found that grapheme-color synaesthesia, where each letter and number has a distinct color, significantly aids language learning. Participants in the study listened to nonsense words representing an artificial language and were later asked to distinguish between words from two different languages. The results indicated that synaesthetes performed better than those without synaesthesia, suggesting that this condition helps individuals recognize and remember language patterns more easily. Synaesthesia can be described as an alternative perceptual reality, where individuals experience a blend of sensory perceptions. For example, a student might remember the word 'work' in French as 'travail' because they associate it with a specific color. While this can be frustrating at times, as the colors are unique to each person's experience, it also serves as an additional cue for language learning. Interestingly, research indicates that synaesthesia is more common in individuals who are not natively bilingual. This suggests that synaesthesia may develop as a child learns to talk, read, and write. A study conducted in 2016 found that children learn to categorize colors between the ages of four and seven, which coincides with their early language development. The authors of the study propose that children may use their ability to categorize colors as an unconventional aid in mastering letters and words. However, it is important to note that synaesthesia can sometimes complicate communication. The suggestion that it functions as a learning strategy remains a topic of debate among researchers. For instance, phoneme-color synaesthesia is a type where specific sounds evoke the perception of certain colors. This can lead to a unique way of thinking, where individuals translate sounds into colors and then into meanings. While this process can enhance understanding, it may also cause individuals to lose track of conversations. Overall, synaesthesia is a fascinating phenomenon that offers insights into the relationship between language and perception. It highlights the diversity of human experience and the various ways in which individuals learn and interact with the world around them.