 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT
3 d/ l7 S# Q% L: d" o0 j; v说汉语者使用大脑更多部分, x7 r% U5 G- t* J* `1 P6 A
+ L! s9 T" I% n% i R1 E2 ~3 V
说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
" z' I8 y! O$ g+ J+ x1 O; P r3 v1 ]0 l( M6 T* u
1 j* a& v- v& b- J' _6 x3 M+ W% S
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。 9 {- }% I# f8 v2 m, |5 R
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。
& o0 ?" e1 d7 q2 s+ 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。
2 g6 B: O% _0 c3 ?6 ? A1 l- c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 P+ s+ a7 w% e. g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。 4 x% \4 z" v/ e" z* t+ v8 m- j
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# q9 K, P7 L: T# Z# 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。
9 s! p5 S: T* a: S( n" d* J# x$ @3 G' V+ L9 Z2 Q# G
6 n$ N% T1 z9 F0 ~8 pChinese 'takes more brainpower'
# I$ {, H6 A! o6 c6 a: x4 @
5 r0 G, m% M$ M$ j! N5 T: Y7 ESpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. , F( @! P# G$ e7 a; v0 _
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
# L# ~4 o: D6 q
4 w6 q) {, L w6 ?! l; rThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. ( i3 q) ]9 m; @ U9 k; l( r
' s I8 g% I: a2 O) qThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
& B# K4 N: w- S9 x
1 q8 \1 T" J0 D! _# |8 }: yThis, 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. / I s7 ~! a0 O4 y9 U7 U8 h* b
4 g$ V8 C) j$ ~& OBrain scans 1 H. @9 D) h' S% E) r
+ }7 V; L) D6 k9 _7 s
Dr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers.
1 H [9 S r |% I/ t/ Q
1 |: e) T/ T% L9 T1 q m7 k6 LThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. . P0 ?; u" d7 {. w o6 x
: p6 _& [: b3 J5 F7 [# B
2 c: }- ~2 C, i/ K1 l0 LThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. - b! B1 F% i8 ?( S
/ u: h% @2 v: A; k7 X
They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. * N+ U2 \+ e+ U3 m) b% _5 e( u
) I: b/ k; A( o. r! j4 C& `However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
; s( v7 q* p1 v' ~1 |0 e
8 R- U/ m! K* r% a/ y( h4 z5 D8 G"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
; u1 Q9 P( H8 W* ?! g0 }$ m/ D. D' T! V- P! q- R: W
"It overturned some long-held theories." 9 o( A3 r; p" X0 S
. g" Z+ u: ^5 W E( _3 i, XMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words.
" ]8 W; t G0 W$ O9 z5 k m( I G& Y+ I3 D% I: z
For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
5 t2 g4 F' R i9 X
+ E/ i3 n9 I: s4 E% GThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
+ x0 g# y5 E; V1 n
% h u, `3 w2 W5 D8 I' U8 N9 GThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
1 R/ W! J% z, ]4 R
' x) m* [/ z5 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.
8 j0 x4 z4 R, x6 w% Y0 o4 B
# O1 ?3 i: W( q# P"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. & X( A, A& Q- p# I( n+ c, i
& {: u4 f, H: h7 D"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
+ D; A( M4 x. I- b& _. U" i5 v% q' v; [* k- p" [. Y, G: q
Learning languages
! s2 n; K4 W0 l8 q4 p
) \& S; `) f: JDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
: c* i! T" H+ O& E$ F9 V) v/ {/ @# {- i5 ?% g
It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
% @) d8 ~! k8 Y2 X2 L [" i' D
% x9 X9 A( l- L9 l/ F8 ^2 N# ]0 gShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
' V- w1 b3 M9 ?7 y% `( \$ ]( w$ q" P: w/ V" k
"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. " R d/ ^4 s9 q% t% Z
& h9 [: O6 H" P. f7 g
"This is something we can improve on." 2 F5 ^1 \1 P2 r: n! w; Y4 g" o0 H0 U1 h
3 l D4 p1 X& [Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
[' h( |+ }4 l2 n6 T- P3 Y4 `% Y- a
"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
( Q5 q+ K9 K- e5 D* G' c' k* |+ s
"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
# J' q9 N4 v7 H0 X( E7 F- V3 [* E
"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
) k- T" P+ [8 V9 P4 \+ g7 A- U7 W+ S' T' B: X
"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
4 k. M$ g! @: m( ?0 d; i' x1 y3 ~, N% g. @* {+ [1 b
The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July.
* Q0 E; P/ p, v6 p1 W7 y) I2 J
5 P* H% W3 c4 b' F# TStory from BBC NEWS:+ V0 ^6 i: ]* k4 ?& N/ [/ k8 t) E
0 g8 E5 x4 y6 ~8 }& B g. ^' c[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|