Natural language switching and the future of the bilingual advantage hypothesis

The ability of bilinguals to speak more than one language poses the question of through what mechanisms they are able to switch between languages and speak only their target language at any given time. Traditional research on the subject has found neurological costs to switching and it has been proposed that such costs may offer enhanced performance in cognitive tasks. However, a recent body of research that has studied language switching in more naturalistic contexts calls into question such proposals. This thesis dissertation reviews the significance of this naturalistic research on language switching, followed by a theoretical analysis of the circumstances under which a cognitive advantage could potentially emerge from it. Ultimately, a particularly nuanced potential is identified, albeit subject to both a clearer theoretical framework and to appropriate empirical support.