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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 ; j1 `' e" `" U/ B
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, Y- a v5 ?( q% e) j- P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。 ' w' h* B( e9 }8 r. Z
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。 ) ^" `# N$ {: h- 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。
, V! P/ b, `- `( y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。 * Y9 r& z# j0 h6 N9 _
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。 3 z$ `5 b3 Q* J g
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。
: C4 A# O, t; e7 O0 `# o2 X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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& y1 S& m* U1 o4 i1 AChinese 'takes more brainpower'
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0 n4 b; C; l5 F8 tSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. 3 E/ q* A$ ^% |! ?& N+ Y8 U7 l
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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) e5 ~# u* b) h/ I2 f- kThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. $ u A' y+ u) B8 k
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. 4 }( ]# w( n5 T e# T8 Q
u0 I6 E K+ I+ O! N9 ?) A8 U( ?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.
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' D; P6 m% k3 n8 KBrain scans
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: V" _( W" g# r: m5 A0 q* @Dr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. ; a* M& J8 `0 H
% p; i/ [ _, @* `8 {$ {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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' w4 o* m( U; h J- C$ ]' AThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. 4 v, _& ^( h# I$ K7 l+ Q$ @
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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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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/ e& o. e% c0 f& R6 d"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. $ k1 ?/ f7 k7 ^( |5 M
9 r/ V2 O+ W( B' }"It overturned some long-held theories."
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5 y4 Y0 o2 {- n9 M# ]Mandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. & s! V F3 w/ d Z
. K6 i$ j w9 W1 p$ w; ]/ S" }3 g2 fFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. - n1 t. i" P M- s! X1 r
% o- M$ e' @" H6 N7 `0 N. sThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. & @: [! U* N6 M$ `: x0 ]
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. 5 }- {4 K9 N8 k5 ^$ y0 {+ V
$ h4 G" c1 Q" I& U8 y$ 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.
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; W2 t# y& z: A" H `' Z/ h"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. $ J& @$ i( C+ I6 b6 p1 a
: |) V# ?1 l, X: g"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." 9 ^# V `6 P7 [( [; N4 J3 `+ T
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Learning languages 8 E/ U; N W5 O4 y2 d7 {
. e; v4 } x' ]2 w# c z# ^: z9 ~Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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* N' E9 {* S2 UIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. - Y- T0 C4 i! i2 Y8 L* [; {/ n
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She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. 2 U6 f' C# f5 h* n* O1 v2 u
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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. 7 |6 @; X% R" T% F% s
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"This is something we can improve on." : V9 A+ P1 G4 k% ^! q
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Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 8 [! K8 `! x8 Q# V6 M
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"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. + @2 Q2 Y4 \0 U3 Y$ v \- M# G
) P& j D/ B3 E# Y% j5 U"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. / W `0 Z8 S. P" b5 C9 @# F
. B5 |" s. ?( Y5 i"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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9 `4 ~( S$ J& `: C# s"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." : [+ i- ]1 X! w; ?* h! d. u
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The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July.
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Story from BBC NEWS: o/ h9 z$ z" r U: F
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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