Cognitive Control Mechanisms in Uzbek-English Bilingualism: Neurolinguistic Correlates
Keywords:
bilingual cognitive control, neurolinguistics, Uzbek-English bilingualism, inhibitory control, language switchingAbstract
Bilingual cognitive control represents one of the most actively investigated domains
at the intersection of neurolinguistics, cognitive psychology, and applied linguistics.
The present theoretical and systematic review examines the neurolinguistic
underpinnings of cognitive control in Uzbek-English bilinguals, with particular
attention to inhibitory control, task-switching, and working memory as core
executive functions engaged during language management. Drawing on evidence
from EEG/ERP studies, fMRI neuroimaging research, and behavioral paradigms
documented in the bilingualism literature, the study critically synthesizes current
models of bilingual language control—including the Inhibitory Control Model, the
Adaptive Control Hypothesis, and the Bilingual Language Interaction Network for
Comprehension and Speaking. The review further explores domain-general versus domain-specific interpretations of the proposed bilingual cognitive advantage,
examining how the typological distance between Uzbek (a Turkic, agglutinative
language) and English (an Indo-European, analytic language) may modulate the
neural and cognitive demands of language switching and selection. Findings indicate
that Uzbek-English bilinguals recruit prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex
networks during inhibitory suppression of the non-target language, and that
switching asymmetry effects differ systematically across L1-to-L2 and L2-to-L1
directions. Methodological recommendations, pedagogical implications, and future
research directions targeting underrepresented Turkic-English bilingual populations
are discussed.
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