Article by Elissa. Originally posted on‘The Language Brain’.Reposted with permission.
It’s happened to all of us. You’re telling your friend about that new Netflix film starring… “wait… what’s her name? You know, the blonde one? From South Africa? She was inMad Max:Fury Road…?” You can picture her perfectly, her name is on the tip of your tongue… what is wrong with yourbrain?!
These moments are what scientists call: “Tip of the Tongue” states (TOTs) orlethologica(from the Greeklethefor “forgetfulness” andlogosfor “word”). TOTs happen no matter how old you are, or what language you speak (in Korean they say a word is “sparkling at the end of my tongue”).They even happen in sign languageswhere they are, more appropriately, called “tip of the finger” states.
So are TOTs a sign of premature ageing? Or just a momentary “brain fart”? Well, let me put your worries at ease straight away: TOTs are a fairly common experience.Young adults experience them roughly once a week, and older adults about once a day. It is not necessarily a sign of something serious*, but more of an occasional brain glitch. Scientists have found that some things make TOTs more common – such as caffeine, fatigue, and strong emotions – and that words learned later in life are more likely to be forgotten.
*when words are frequently forgotten due to brain damage, it is calledanomic aphasia, and usually involves forgetting manyeveryday words.
What’s happening?
So what’s happening in the brain when we experience TOTs? It’s been an area of interest for psychologists and linguists alike. Producing language is one of the most amazing things humans do; there’s so much going on from beginning to end! And different parts of your brain are responsible for different parts: from recognising something you see, to remembering its meaning, its sound, and how to say it.
Say you see an object, let’s say a turtle. First, the brain processes the image through your eyes, recognises it, and activates the concept ofturtlein your mind.This is called activation at the semantic (or meaning) level, and happens in thetemporal lobe(on your left side if you’re right-handed, slightly above and in front of your ear).
As we saw ina previous article, the brain is connected through neural pathways, and concepts – liketurtle– are connected to a sound label.So after activating the meaning, your brain activates the sound label of that word – e.g.turtle– which is at the phonological (or sound) level.
If you then wish tospeakthat word, there’s a whole other stage! As your brain remembers the correct sound, it prepares to make those sounds with yourspeaking apparatus: your lungs, lips, tongue, jaw, larynx – all those parts of our body we almost never consciously think about, yet use so frequently. Your brain then tells these parts to move. Your lungs push air out, which creates flapping in your vocal chords, which is modulated with your tongue, teeth and lips to make the word: turtle!
So what’s going wrong when we experience TOT states? Scientists believe they are a result of a breakdown in this activation process from meaning to sound (the semantic to the phonological). You’ve probably noticed that even when you can’t remember the word, you can often describe it: e.g.it’a slow walking amphibian with a shell.It’s believed that the brain has activated the meaning of the word, but not the sound; like it’s short circuited, and skipped the phonological level. As a result, you have the idea in your head, and asense of knowingit, but your brain just cannot activate the corresponding word sound.
Tip of the Tongue states are more common with infrequently used words, such as “spelunking” (to explore caves, usually as a hobby), or “abdicate” (to give up the throne), so many believe TOTs are due to a lack of use. It’s a bit like going down a hiking trail that hasn’t been used in a long time; chances are it will be overgrown with plants and harder to get through than trails used more frequently. This would also explain whybilinguals experience TOTs more often than monolinguals. As they have to split their time between two languages, overall, they use each language less often than a monolingual.
So what about bilinguals?
Bilinguals experience more TOT states, even in their native language, but this could also be due to another phenomenon:language attrition. This is what happens when a bilingual starts to forget their first language due to lack of use. If you have been living, working and playing in your second language, and rarely use your first language, it can start to fade away. As the saying goes: neurons that fire together, wire together. So, if you’re no longer firing neurons for that language, those pathways become weaker, and it becomes harder to remember the words you need.
Tips
Fortunately, from all this research, scientists have figured out some ways to avoid Tip of the Tongue states.
First: Don’t look it up.While your first instinct may be to Google it or ask a friend, this is actually the worst thing to do for your memory. Instead,try and describe it to someone. Describing the word you are looking for can trigger the sound memory.
Second:Again, DON’T LOOK IT UP. Studies have found that looking up the answer actually increases the chances you’ll forget it again, leading people to forget the same words over and over again. Instead,get a sound clue about the word, like the first letter. For example, if you’re trying to remember the name of that famous actress who played Rachel on Friends, get a friend to give you the first sound:“Je-e-e…”. Or get them to make up a rhyming word e.g.Blennifer Blaniston.
Third:If it’s language attrition, the answer is simple:use it or lose it!If you haven’t been speaking one of your languages lately, don’t expect it to come easily, especially if you are trying to remember difficult words you haven’t used in a while. For example, if you used your native language to study physics at university, but now you only use it to chat with family, it’s likely your brain will have trouble remembering after such a long time! A bit of revision – like reading, or listening to a podcast in your native language – should help bring it back to life.
Final Words
The good news? Tip of the Tongue states happen to everyone, and it doesn’t mean you’re losing your memory. And with a bit of work, the words will come back to you; you just need to remind yourself. So keep it active! And don’t freak out. Besides, sometimes describing the word you’re looking for is better for your language brain anyway – and more fun!
