 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT
7 B% R4 a) Q! _6 v2 B% ~说汉语者使用大脑更多部分# t5 h; c! G* m( M
+ p/ Q" z; X% h; i6 A
& m2 L! P% i% }/ s1 ]9 r说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
/ i* X" x+ k5 q4 D5 g% Z6 l) D0 q' D" e( Q1 s: c, ^# _
* ^: {9 S9 _! W$ _; u5 r# x
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。 2 U0 a3 o8 z% X9 O
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。 v5 n1 \! G+ y3 a9 w
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。
; i/ Z0 F' L1 A6 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。 1 m+ I* K7 F7 K- d$ a2 A/ X
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。 ) M5 s$ b$ j) j* G+ w0 N
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。
f$ @6 a( A; h% |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。; a; ~8 ^7 d6 T
5 K; h+ |, W5 F: E
" {9 {: A: v! S8 GChinese 'takes more brainpower'
2 G. p2 P3 V) d3 h; q3 u3 M/ b/ V; R0 \! {+ Y
Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. . G2 N: c5 a5 C5 M+ s4 D$ x( K" r
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 7 N6 `3 x$ S9 p4 [
$ v6 M0 {' N( `This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. % Z1 Y) d- b( I& h$ L) Q/ f% T# J
) h) D: ]9 i1 Y( v
The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
$ k8 t8 R) `% Q1 H+ k) l. i: F) S- c4 I$ o5 w: |; o5 N% H! Z3 v; |( ^
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.
4 {+ D/ O O0 x/ W( Z7 i5 ]/ M! L+ V
! U+ @5 ?9 j3 J) XBrain scans
; t8 k0 s2 v( [6 h9 A
" F0 A0 c, d9 l& C1 nDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. * Z$ F- x* c9 I$ w7 Y& G
$ K c u# K1 T& |
They found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. " u) b! k' u8 G, h* K4 H& \
% |6 R3 U3 N# ~
' P4 I; j( [& U) i) ?; i% `! BThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. + |" l" `. v, K! i3 `( b* Q
5 ^; h* `3 @# [' M' Q) U7 z
They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
. M6 v! g$ a( u+ X# J! ?. ]9 i C! [* _
However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. 5 O [' D- l( n
- F% m( `7 r: ]$ n"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. ( j, |2 A/ l1 O0 y! T
" T7 H0 C! ?$ }) W6 [; \4 d
"It overturned some long-held theories." 5 V2 c3 P9 E) b g0 t
2 X q% d. G+ s! f, ]3 LMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. " W5 A! |% C8 H' r' ]
- u* r K7 M& z4 p3 S, QFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. , ~; |3 d$ g0 K" z) V
' G; b1 C" B2 t- o
The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
$ B, M4 A' k# I3 u0 T6 q, \; Y# _& d, G; Q" A6 K% M% Q1 z. f& v
The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. 6 S. o) m7 s8 c. ]3 _
X( s& Z- G7 Q' ~3 ?: R"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. , E9 ^3 U1 L, E! A6 ?6 q0 K, T0 `6 o
& K# ]5 {/ C. s4 J" E; t3 w' R3 S }
"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech.
4 C6 }1 d: ]; I5 O* y3 J0 ? }( U; Q2 }2 [" ~: b7 x
"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
, O2 B: z+ g0 O& X7 `" h
- r( z: L, V/ u& m! @* C2 SLearning languages . t, _3 ~$ P8 F: i/ {+ f
4 F7 E+ c4 E5 A3 G' F* ]- @: h
Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. X2 m- C" j/ C* X% s
" s I$ @( Q4 KIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. 4 ?, | W/ ~( u. ]) P& @) W
1 U# a, U7 ~6 G$ YShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. # {0 o; ]% D6 g3 I
" r. R% ?8 D% ?- V" G8 Y, B
"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. . j) M, ^# |1 O3 g+ I# r) u
- z* k, M8 d! T( X7 c
"This is something we can improve on." ; k- d8 H6 S: P" ^4 }' i+ _
& ~( o- x" ]- t$ Y! F ]0 C4 F
Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
3 [* b2 m+ d" n* b$ c: q# o8 h" e1 s. B' O: G, ]1 l
"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
2 v% V( W' B, M# v1 e5 D! }3 h& [4 O6 O1 S9 b0 i6 M" f. E
"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. * q" r- C0 | L& P( _6 U1 b3 X; {
; U' C5 h+ {- O( b, Z! Q# p"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. ! R, [# r i7 @0 _
' n# U8 I& b- F% r) o: m8 H
"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
& o9 p" f( P3 P/ X. B; o8 ?, ?' `* x/ ^8 ~" X
The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July.
! @( x: t; `: S7 ^- S* T+ t6 Y! B& Y
# t- x) q/ Z G6 Z' A+ |5 DStory from BBC NEWS:
$ _- C+ X4 l. `# V" o! p. G$ s; r+ m8 |/ b. J
[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|