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) J3 u$ o9 K1 R2 H ~' D9 E说汉语者使用大脑更多部分$ b: m {6 p) Q( u$ T- z
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3 U+ ^4 O# x' i. Q说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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3 P: |/ E# W% j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。
( n. I. r2 g' _7 ~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。 1 W! H6 I2 M( T& b
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。
* ?. o8 E" |0 l6 E, V3 Q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。 % [$ m; F G' U: d) i! a
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。 . _# _/ p' |* X/ l
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。 * d3 t4 O$ u: Y. B" ?% l
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。. {. z, n/ q4 O7 |/ n8 L
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
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* a& w( [5 w9 D0 ]2 k+ x. s" Z TSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. 7 p0 c1 E! g2 b
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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This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
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) l/ m7 Z _3 w7 u% k! g5 \6 L+ bThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. ; O; C: D" C6 o, a
. ? V G8 x, e. ?; VThis, 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.
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Brain scans + V! X: X* X6 ^: F9 O% v" r
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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. s. _/ q0 z1 [9 L5 x$ p6 O* a4 f
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They found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. ' H3 @/ Y* `# a# V3 W. h& W5 H* X
7 W: C% z2 n: E- m9 E2 zThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. # Y. S3 J7 @; O; ~( ]
) C' u' \( O$ B* X' BHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
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& J4 ^) b; y2 t( x& ?"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. 2 G) }" P' \4 d) h7 M
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"It overturned some long-held theories." , x# z( q( ^/ M2 c; u8 @* ~8 K
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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. 1 ~$ Q' A: V3 g
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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
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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. - U( @# n- J+ _1 Q
# P4 X. f$ W$ ]8 E" G/ f% MThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. ! }* R& T/ ?9 R0 H9 A/ }$ j
' f) F0 ~- A8 i: j( W"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. ' |* q! l! L6 M
" }, g' ]' m/ D: C5 G"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. % L8 _( Q2 V/ Y, ~. \2 }& F
1 _: i+ u- L4 p4 D4 @2 S"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." 3 Z0 y+ ?2 s; j/ A2 S+ r ^
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Learning languages
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1 x2 E7 J* e$ n: M: cDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. " ~5 j# ]0 Y& A" G7 \. w& D6 i
3 [0 C8 o1 b% x( Q; uIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
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% {; }; q* K) v7 m% s0 [, w1 x$ CShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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) b8 t* h- }( b"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. 1 {4 Y: B0 c- |( V" D
8 S) k$ T- O) U: h"This is something we can improve on."
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Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 6 |6 _6 P$ n0 A6 w
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"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
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"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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8 ?2 e6 o, f- R0 _9 b"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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/ ^' z* E: g9 @The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. + n+ l% m* {( A$ h6 ]0 a
1 `9 y: w. A9 j, UStory from BBC NEWS:
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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