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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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$ ^& C P( A& L0 C) H1 z3 |说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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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。 & b, S1 I1 Z. ~5 `: T
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。
* {* [/ k2 ~: p. [ f1 ^3 {8 l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。 4 L2 d% n+ B, W1 e: w
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。 " X, \, r" \* {5 O; L3 ]
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。
# w- {/ ~& O) I" d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。 5 U6 K& \3 ^- e5 C( q; Q% h. g
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。$ \0 I! p2 q8 y; S
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9 m6 S8 r: ]' t4 `: ZChinese 'takes more brainpower' . B+ h9 H6 D! v- M( a! o9 ~- g: V R5 p
3 \! @+ ?" m" l& `5 I$ h8 i$ e! `Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
) e) t" T5 ?+ o; _5 f4 m% e9 T7 IResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. ! L" m( H7 ^9 b. B5 c3 U% D
7 ^" ^* s4 |% |This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. ( \) ]! t& c& a0 N
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. 3 g( ?: N. k2 U) Y
# \7 ~! H p4 T9 kThis, 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. 6 o% O5 s$ w5 i1 e
; Z' W. X# ^; o& {Brain scans % h$ U8 \) S# {6 V
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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. 6 `, R( P' F. A3 u
% D2 b- z2 Q& N* TThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. * g* @, f; [+ K* [* V }
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7 t- r, Z {; L. h2 V7 jThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. 1 S* @2 C- q! U4 c b4 U
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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& J( z. j2 r" p/ ^9 x% _However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. h7 g, m# O( k" Q( d
$ B9 {. J+ ?! u0 a( L"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
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6 y7 a, p7 Y+ ^2 }0 s7 v4 ^: Z"It overturned some long-held theories."
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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. 2 E& g6 X$ j O3 l
& G! Z# e( f) T1 z- u0 s" mFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. " l2 n4 _2 y2 @5 W" U
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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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0 `, ]* c& G! j- }4 j1 ]The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. + u0 a" W( \4 C- p' J+ I5 G- W
% ~; V0 i- ~3 f; f9 ["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. ! |' y; q$ ~4 @$ z+ G( `4 e
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"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. 8 i# K- }% V0 b
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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." * H8 @0 i8 w( R
8 |4 ~" f# @- H7 c6 v3 OLearning languages
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0 {: u% p6 P6 wDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. 2 x; C; J( A6 b1 B* ]9 `
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It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
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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.
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"This is something we can improve on."
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7 v5 p/ r+ b3 K" vDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 0 H/ i0 Y% N$ m
3 |+ Q: ?0 p, @( S D# j"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. ( e& L3 X3 `* C) q2 j
6 e) z( t. i7 A+ ^& t% p2 Z* ~"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. 3 X1 K# u! y1 o; Q& {0 Z6 c
7 T1 w0 _; e3 g"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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* Y2 V! l- n4 W1 F+ e"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." . m0 U& y( a. e* B+ d$ a
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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. 9 B- P4 m8 s( C! e- U3 T
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Story from BBC NEWS:, Q9 @7 `* w* i6 r, e5 o
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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