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7 H# j. Q; X: I% B0 R5 E说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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" Z/ [6 S0 s2 U) n$ ]- ^, d4 j _说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 3 X( X% a* M; e" ^/ n+ {
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2 Z/ c7 b/ }8 l8 @% }' n9 {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。 ( h: {& }+ L% Z, M# W6 ?, a' ]& o5 C& ~
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。
% n" d% ^" j. M3 a, ]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 Q5 w a! k& o/ h! M: G! ]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。
! w7 Q2 }) l- t# T1 n& M1 z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。
0 F! ^# ^# _. q7 }) n1 W0 g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。
) A4 L" ~# A N4 @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。& O) f* Z0 N: a& z! `! s
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% h3 p5 s1 C6 M: A+ QChinese 'takes more brainpower'
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+ M4 f T& N6 i4 xSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
2 ?# p& ]; ^7 s- w! l' f9 P9 r/ SResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. / n$ R, q* k. \. o; Y. K# V
. Q3 E9 _) F, o) G- X( q. l JThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
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8 j/ O" L+ X8 x$ F S5 j- gThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. & D+ [- K4 Q4 W n' D
! a. k* B& T6 S! `: y- E- Q sThis, 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. ( i4 c: J( h& ?
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Brain scans ) G! q2 J* P# c( l4 Y; d
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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. - g8 v( f% ~1 X0 j, e
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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.
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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. ( P/ {- k+ O$ y; Q
& @ [% b( Q8 K SThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. 4 l, h; ]# r/ L
+ U0 M9 N: i2 n& \. o"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. ; |, k6 Q. o2 c5 O
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"It overturned some long-held theories." ) w' F" q/ r) i9 F( ?/ m
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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.
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7 S! d' @! Z' [0 Z# ], I, lFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
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# V( Q& T# v* C# a& S% RThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. 6 }' B: E N/ o0 x9 t: ^
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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.
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" z: J& S& Y/ b6 W: C$ O9 x X"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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4 y- [7 s+ t Y5 f+ D9 a$ j4 u2 k# b"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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7 a! A6 w" _1 S2 @& f( O" _Learning languages
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. % e0 v; R9 ?9 T& f* n0 r; n" R% ~
# x k- l2 B& C' y) Q) iIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. / w; N5 T0 \% h d1 N
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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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/ s2 i" v0 U+ J! E3 _"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." $ E& W( J" F5 Z! s
0 F- N& c! K. z' iDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 6 w- \) x! E1 v8 \! d. w
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"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
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4 q7 S( D. g6 ?: t- p: r, n"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. & }- D5 _0 g* H6 F* s* W* B
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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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}4 a7 x' |' U2 j! q"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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" m' y1 c0 |+ \4 k) DThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. ; b/ F6 ]5 \( |$ X0 c# r& f. L/ h
' |$ K0 k4 u5 K1 K4 y" WStory from BBC NEWS:
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# O5 ^; ~* p" Z3 }" V[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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