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/ l+ {# T; u# S' o- O1 ]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
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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/ I$ {$ X$ \# g3 j5 p
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。 - M( M$ ~5 W' q' W5 b, p
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。
; K# k% J* ]6 ]3 N5 A9 R) I4 P" J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。
/ d2 d9 J( N& r* I3 n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。
+ W5 [/ N+ P! X, H3 @; `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。 , k# _% x5 F h: t( k3 b
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。8 q( a0 J7 I$ h9 l' W- ~4 v
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower' 6 u, J, l& A! {2 Z) l
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
. E" V( t0 t, M+ q, hResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. * p7 I- N& U/ o
3 @# p2 m0 L6 b% B1 uThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. 8 ~1 _- `0 l# {: |1 x
4 N# [$ q- @ J0 DThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. ' \* U8 U4 }" p9 I( h" {
) Z5 G$ N; Q2 ^, b7 |0 ]3 W9 ~' ^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. ) a( e S( Z6 t
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Brain scans , k2 s2 q* Z3 ?7 v' F2 Z
; z, l, @# G. D8 j$ tDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers.
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% e7 _4 T7 ?: ~0 s( fThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. # q( o& M: Z9 H# u6 v& Q
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3 W: e3 o/ G& ~# }8 [The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. . f1 b% u+ x- Z! Q2 S9 R" v
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. 3 Y2 s0 ^9 W/ @& u% C" {9 Z
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However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. / W1 X8 z# G9 ?4 n1 D1 j
& \; D, W, ~, Z"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
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"It overturned some long-held theories."
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% h4 x! W8 s% P) H: {0 _4 OMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. 4 y4 U2 \& H4 R" G5 \ j0 ?
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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. 1 \3 ^4 t; l; n/ U
9 v0 E0 t* |4 G* }# ]The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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; j% X1 a$ T6 b2 W- @; T% B6 o"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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2 L: l6 C- y$ s' w% i"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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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." 0 T( z) i/ }& p6 S- r2 ^4 W
4 {8 }& O2 t c/ D ULearning languages , A: \! q/ g8 f
2 A6 \$ A! |( A; C% ^5 iDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. - s6 U( c# a5 E' U& ]) ~
5 X E B" c0 tIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
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9 V3 ?6 L" S! _2 N( hShe 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. : Q0 t1 s) P9 }: u; u
5 p/ _; Q! ~- ]8 l"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.
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2 s, Q! j# S1 u8 i) E"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. 9 D2 G* d: `/ l9 m
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"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. 6 [! Y* T. D; H/ r
' j4 d! E# E! M- Y# @; N( S"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. 2 R7 Y2 t* X: p# S! S% l( x: j. r
" f; I0 A5 K- ?5 V1 n: k"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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* ]& ^' U: o9 u6 `* wThe 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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' ^- T. h+ T% _/ x5 `Story from BBC NEWS:
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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