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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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: g: ]- X. |! B0 l说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 + r& D6 C- S- M6 s1 C5 V- r; m8 ?
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5 l8 _1 ~" Y5 w7 P8 V2 E- C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。 - p& T' Z7 a7 r$ W3 \) D. e4 g7 B
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。 7 l9 O8 A; y5 Z+ D- 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。 % O$ \! V% \0 t$ s
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。
" C6 M3 Y- F( B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。
. Q- W7 G ?' o- W" N* b8 ]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。 ( \; K. b1 b/ d+ Q. f8 J, p
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' ! |3 G4 ]$ B5 \; W3 Z; k1 o
% S% Z2 _; I; ]7 V$ j7 L+ dSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
9 q4 \( G2 C: Y3 `0 bResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. ; |0 v: O: z8 y4 W/ k7 g
; V1 L' W1 |" c: ], q, DThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. + i: S( v3 X5 _; p6 G0 W
6 J( z, i/ c" G# ZThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. & M% m$ J- K8 T7 X0 E
6 }; W6 s: U$ qThis, 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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7 i- S( D E+ }$ F/ cBrain scans
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8 U7 m: N) }; v: ` M3 C! L8 l; fDr 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.
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7 ]) i1 L# Y: k7 m }7 w; s* PThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. ! z1 I+ Q9 D' L" F! m9 V5 w! m
4 l) c% c$ q+ r7 @They 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.
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: r/ I) [* H; X! Y"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. $ J, g0 X! ?" ? y/ |( j
) }& Q' D1 m# N6 P4 v* t"It overturned some long-held theories." 9 ~6 v' o* n; y0 P9 m, m/ B
) F2 e' z2 T6 ~) }& T, a3 J5 b* WMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. / N% L& g- s( C1 O7 r& E
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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. & J4 C, P: _1 [
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The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
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4 n; w9 X; d: k5 t' I- _& pThe 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/ o7 g9 }% I
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"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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8 z0 \& E" R) y/ D"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." 2 A, D m: D3 `& X+ n
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Learning languages 7 ^% ^5 K H1 A& d$ W
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Dr 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. " ~5 l2 j/ |7 b9 ~3 A0 ?
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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.
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5 H7 x7 A# s+ x/ _"This is something we can improve on."
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, @+ J! u4 j5 k) BDr 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. 6 z" Y$ q4 i' m* o7 `3 J6 |
$ k0 y+ H8 H" {"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. : g7 p/ O9 A/ D, o2 A: y: {/ G
; ~' Y {0 h4 I5 k8 V0 W"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." 1 U3 A/ h7 f: `
2 C2 ~5 s: z) \0 z3 jThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. 1 @; j. ]& u' D% |; |6 m
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Story from BBC NEWS:
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' f) K+ k( P$ q$ Z& M[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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