A new study of how humans learn modern languages has found that the brains of the most talented linguists hear foreign terms as random noise, not words.
They found that those with higher auditory precision mastered the pronunciation of new languages faster and more accurately than other learners and relied less on the brain’s left sensorimotor system (involved in language processing) when processing foreign-language sounds. Instead, their brain activity patterns were similar to those that occur when the brain processes non-speech sounds.
This reminds me how I used to listen to The Beatles as a kid, long before I learnt English. I did know roughly what the songs are about, but I didn’t understand most of the words. I did burn the lyrics deep into my brain by repeat listening, as just sounds.
Then decades later - I’m going somewhere by subway and suddenly I remember She’s Leaving Home and play it back in my head after years of not thinking about it. And I realise I can understand (and remember!) every word as it comes up in mind, truly understanding the song for the very first time.
I ended up bursting into tears right there, since it’s so emotional. That was such a cool experience.