Cognitive Control Mechanisms in Uzbek-English Bilingualism: Neurolinguistic Correlates

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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