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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分% [ r! |+ u. |/ g. E, G7 C |. T
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, J9 g% d$ w$ M( w" u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。
' I# U9 g! N& S/ q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。 . B Z/ e! v9 r3 P6 }4 G& e
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。
$ ~0 B. Y) r' s l6 s! Y# f& f N2 @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。 k0 B9 ~0 ?6 H7 b1 i1 s
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。 : }8 a* T% T7 y! o6 V* r( ]5 a
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。 # P0 X. u) q. h. z# W s. k+ ]
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。- R- ]& j. C1 f- S9 A: p- e) r2 W4 A
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
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6 g$ z) `' F7 S, Q; ?: [- h9 MSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. 7 y( y+ M- H& o/ M2 Z
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 7 O: ?) ~2 J! U1 l' |
. V: s. S2 _/ ?6 R1 ^This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. 2 [9 F4 r4 f1 k7 H1 y6 j* h6 x
& s+ C) A9 q8 X: h) PThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. 9 Z% Z# `" f: q- ^6 n' T) q! R
3 k1 t b- z y" w% PThis, 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 6 F/ y0 L [- v q* `8 {! c
1 W2 a; [/ ?% q1 W2 SDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers.
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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. & d& }# ~& q; R: X" k- e
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^" s8 k5 I9 y8 }- WThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. 4 R2 b A! Z( Z. k
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. : g" w4 O( o' [0 _$ F& l; F4 E: g
& s4 ^0 n# {* @) {) g( I5 gHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
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3 I! ^! b" ?/ P; L( h"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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: [5 }' J1 [6 E2 C9 hMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. + s/ P3 q" \ U, O; }7 L$ W
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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 5 Q2 z( A; D$ A- X6 J: h! t- D
- y* s' E7 E4 h+ a" L4 O/ p) IThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
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1 z1 L3 P4 C& D& b ~3 ZThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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) _0 [1 M6 `0 p8 i$ 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. : t" U8 f/ D/ A1 {
( E& t/ `. k7 Z) G/ 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. . U% W* P9 z6 I* o8 Y
j. c4 J, g" q& |"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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Learning languages + D. Q; p- L. Y( p3 ]
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. 8 c" q% [; f6 V; k
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It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. - h- _2 a/ B& n: w: p/ j# ^1 s
) a( Q. a' l |) P7 i+ SShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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6 R2 y; i5 E& q' @4 Y2 H"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. ! S1 A- ~$ f6 a& F
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"This is something we can improve on." ( Y+ R$ G3 [ V, A* R+ W4 @
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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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"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. 9 T- ~1 p4 m/ e2 i5 B7 @
8 E- Q* \3 \9 _1 W2 J/ Q"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. / S9 x9 _% t* Z& [/ c
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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." * i6 W5 Q# C3 @1 U3 F" p. w
K g s& b4 h8 n% `# O& k+ JThe 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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0 N3 A. d5 k3 X8 i5 yStory from BBC NEWS:0 ?, K- ]* b( |) L& N7 b" L4 |& V
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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