What is lateralization of language?

Lateralization of language refers to the tendency for language functions to be concentrated in one hemisphere of the brain. Typically, for right-handed individuals, language is predominantly housed in the left hemisphere. This includes regions such as Broca's area and Wernicke's area, which are crucial for speech production and comprehension, respectively 1 2.

For left-handed individuals, the distribution of language functions is more variable. While many still have language predominantly in the left hemisphere, a significant proportion also have language functions distributed between both hemispheres or even concentrated in the right hemisphere 1 3.

The reason behind this lateralization isn't entirely clear. Although the brain appears symmetrical, with similar anatomical structures on both sides, language functions tend to specialize in one hemisphere. This specialization might be influenced by genetic factors and developmental processes in utero, where regions responsible for motor skills and speech develop in proximity and possibly interact early on 1 3.