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7 `. M8 {6 G( t3 D/ }说汉语者使用大脑更多部分( p0 m* J9 I2 S6 S4 o1 ~
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说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 ! z) G* n9 h1 S4 J, |
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( _' m( i+ @9 C+ s英国的研究人员发现,说汉语普通话的人可能比说英语的人用更多大脑。研究表明,说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边。 - u$ ^; h; c4 j3 f3 {
说英语者只使用大脑一边。研究人员说,这项研究能够促进了解大脑处理语言的过程。
/ T1 M. e3 v1 o2 k1 I另外,这项研究还可以帮助研究人员找到更好的办法,帮助人们在中风或者脑部受到类似损害后重新学习,掌握语言技能。
, n3 A0 A3 h6 n2 L( C$ y6 g在这项研究中,操汉语普通话和操英语的两组人接受脑部扫描。研究人员发现,人们讲英语时,靠近左太阳穴的左颞叶开始活跃。
! E+ i, ]: q- l, d他们发现,大脑这个区域的功能是把发音联系起来,形成单个词汇。 ( h {( j A! i
研究发现,人们说汉语时,左颞叶和右颞叶一起活跃。研究人员说,说不同语言时,人的大脑在以不同方式破译语言。这就推翻了长期以来的看法。 / J a7 {3 p2 x& \) Y
汉语普通话十分难学。不同于操英语者,说汉语者使用音调区分不同词的不同意思。比如"马"音,用不同音调发音,可以是马,妈等不同的意思。
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! K# _; [2 V) z% c8 X* s. E# I6 IChinese 'takes more brainpower'
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
+ S& P( y3 h5 X1 @Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
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+ I f) b+ q6 J( L6 w$ B$ X& ^; OThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. s9 t) i8 u( M$ n
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. [4 z+ @ K5 I% U2 ~. M
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This, in turn, could one day help scientists to develop better ways of helping people to re-learn languages after a stroke or similar damage to the brain. - K: R/ n0 g; p3 i" f; [' ?
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Brain scans 7 K6 q9 z- C8 e! C2 r3 Z( [9 P4 q
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Dr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. 8 T+ Q# l) f& A
. Z T1 n( o2 }$ ^: L9 e) NThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. 7 ? p6 Q0 }/ b1 x' m
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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. $ e% N1 N# \$ t7 x7 ~* `1 v) x7 J
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However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
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8 P2 s0 w. k6 ^# S! ?- I. e# n"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
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: k; s4 n* f# X9 `0 k"It overturned some long-held theories." 6 @3 H) x" j8 h0 j+ g
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Mandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words.
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$ T( ?4 C* R+ _" iFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 4 E1 Y9 z# O N; q7 f, R X) s2 O, z
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The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
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]+ t. D) a# o" L9 m0 a3 @The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. # u' n6 A" D s' o
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"We think that Mandarin speakers interpret intonation and melody in the right temporal lobe to give the correct meaning to the spoken words," said Dr Scott.
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" x, I+ f& G) t( Y1 M" |"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech.
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+ L! I" `+ a' c: d/ F( i"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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2 V1 _7 ?1 \8 j4 E2 gLearning languages
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# t5 b5 N4 S2 k, o" ]# [* S sDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. 5 H/ t0 ?& C- V$ G% \
2 n: Z0 n5 n0 @She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. , o. i0 p# M5 F' E8 U
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"This is something we can improve on." # u! E/ z, ?) @' k+ X2 q9 Y3 V' D+ k, V3 ~
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Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. ; b/ c; n# A! X5 G1 H8 c r2 G
7 w2 i9 L9 v8 _* R, N"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. 2 A' X) a4 w4 o8 [5 c
@5 W2 t" @+ c/ B" M- b"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. 0 `, P+ H; i2 l$ i3 A
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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. , p6 e9 p& F2 D4 R( z% A" C
. T6 Z: u- o8 u3 q& g"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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" r# |- S8 N+ xThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. 8 S1 ^5 D, T2 J2 T& I8 O
1 x2 e+ J2 w' }2 A. l7 ?Story from BBC NEWS:: v3 a' n# G; F8 x- o& R
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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