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; \0 W& s8 [3 m0 O7 q& g+ Z9 k W [说汉语者使用大脑更多部分2 l; g9 P1 j& h2 p& ~
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$ I( }$ @* S F' B- W' Y$ S9 Q3 [说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 3 [3 |' l" Q S# k
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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。 0 w L v. @8 g
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。
; Q, \7 D0 u7 y/ |% D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。 $ F- r* r' j6 }
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。 3 i+ J+ w8 C" l' A
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。
5 Z) q& E" T" u" _- r0 ]3 h+ U t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。 . v& Z5 g2 y# E" a) {$ s
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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Chinese 'takes more brainpower' ; A) b3 W/ t" ?) z) r( i8 R, G
' f. K( t- [* z2 @3 J& BSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
/ ~7 J& X" i% H9 p' S, B2 ZResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
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# _- G' ]) j7 q2 S8 V" R# UThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
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3 [2 d6 s0 ?9 e% |. AThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. $ s: M, E! Z( `# O4 E; V
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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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* D8 A! M6 q1 `; I& M# `4 j# l `+ p# LBrain scans
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& j4 v @! g; }* B, }5 f* yDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers.
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5 p2 J0 D% Z- xThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. % Q) [7 v" C! Y9 `- a
/ G# T; p, e- s$ ~3 w( QThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. 5 J# q" {/ l* d; D' g% I. z
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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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"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. $ o, V8 A9 r. S f/ U& e
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"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. % N- n+ |( j/ A* p. i: c0 y
! C) t; `4 c5 x* RFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 2 G: f' D9 I% K: x, e- [
. ~& c9 v4 V$ t; a8 u8 JThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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"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. $ e& K. g4 W. a( G* a0 ^$ o( I
# M0 W3 I2 X1 y! T( ?* u+ d$ v"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." - }) w) m) l' T# E4 O. x
+ v; H8 n, K2 s% ?% @) C# WLearning languages 8 H9 H6 w; _" O) k: g' `6 K
1 a& i0 ]6 I7 L0 `4 c1 c$ PDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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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. - ~+ h. N. t# A: |: {2 f
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"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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"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
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7 l) s7 S: f3 @/ X) S1 I"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. * k0 W! Z) u) y" y
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"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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* y; f7 s5 L7 _- }( E$ Q. F+ TThe 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:+ E) S' _8 }+ z/ V! Z' U3 H- e" Z
9 l4 T( ~' P: f) D% X[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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