 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT) e# A, j6 z3 h" W0 r3 U
说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
5 z d, Z; f/ R$ m+ |2 z! M: i& H9 j9 k1 |
$ i4 q0 h8 |; D* F% R
说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 . E' ^9 R; F6 W( v, S3 I/ x) A8 H
1 n; _, y% q. L2 d) K
- R- n7 [& Y" v' Q7 t) v# f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。 ! s2 t1 C4 I9 W/ }
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。
* A6 `0 S+ `4 ^* I/ O% J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。
# A7 T; H( T4 Q; i) K3 b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。
! G( U0 @+ o* Z; z8 u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。
; `7 s2 u0 s9 h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。 1 i0 n' B+ W* E" C L9 O
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 {7 T t( \3 y
9 q3 k& y3 x: W, `6 l) s/ ~; x
6 S- v J2 S2 g5 m1 E9 I
Chinese 'takes more brainpower' $ ~0 Q( r/ X+ U5 |. ^2 l
1 v* \. \8 I; l2 Y* x6 M C
Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. , J/ A. ]) \) y6 T
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
, {4 s5 q% _8 G+ S2 Z8 Y% y. {8 j5 S5 H6 F
This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
. u* O- V3 k; u+ w9 W4 \8 K) t$ X2 h4 r( P
The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. & B( s9 C; u8 t& O! z
. B) F; t e1 }5 } \# t. p: N
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. 0 ?/ ~# R$ O s; R
$ b8 F6 n, o+ t5 H* Z/ n
Brain scans . ~& |' ` u, D' |$ L. H
5 x& b- |* \" O* w* j# I7 oDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. ]! d5 C B* }' {% t. I: _
; {' Q" P: C2 t4 X) i% O0 o
They found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
' g1 A5 I0 F1 m5 F* n7 b# L9 y: e3 l2 U. [% @6 x: \7 g5 R8 p
$ c5 m4 L) `! P& DThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
0 n7 I$ L1 x5 g ]5 L6 K& w
8 o6 Z, q( i1 L5 q# X4 wThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
4 E) ^9 Q6 F- n/ I* o+ U* P( Y2 {- G$ ]2 h0 E9 S
However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. ! `$ n8 r7 \5 W: S
% l4 a5 H' a: t, |"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. : `5 t0 X; n. \# h2 O
" u% P3 E9 n; u0 g( t6 d"It overturned some long-held theories."
1 v; y; V& g2 e8 X; B; J- v
: e4 s7 H/ @# o5 C1 zMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words.
$ j6 T! ]3 _# H( u! f6 s7 T' t. F' u) }
For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
! Q8 B2 u3 ]4 j7 J3 V! u' I7 N }) k3 u- S
The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. $ l8 q- Y( N: Z% \# s! y5 a* |+ ^
& V" [% {7 B: |( W9 xThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. 3 g2 b1 t1 q' T1 o: j8 S( f
% p8 ^/ M- H' p% h' O+ O* l+ T2 t9 m"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. 2 Y9 ]6 |; C! T+ }1 g; q
9 u1 m3 ?. J9 m& 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.
* P' c8 @/ Z* a8 c J, t# H# m" h8 p% ]/ H5 {, k/ [3 ~6 Z
"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
6 ] ]" X7 |0 R- Z
H! C1 n: ~. N; ^ rLearning languages
5 U' A3 I" _3 s: h( g0 s
+ _' b9 e4 h7 J! S9 A8 [" dDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. [ V8 u x$ X/ \( e. n
2 g- f) w! i# u# ^* OIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. 4 ~# o2 o! M" O3 u
1 V( K5 V" _3 c0 W/ A# X+ _3 {She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
. U7 e8 U5 w* P, D5 |9 f6 v$ H7 t6 W5 ^
"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. * i8 @8 Y: }) w9 K9 ?! U: d/ O
3 ^% v6 R; m7 {6 l
"This is something we can improve on."
8 x$ m/ |, |. ~1 e' I
3 }& @% V9 D6 q2 T4 h ^9 HDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. ) I# e: C. `" u' k c' v) V; E
4 ^# a/ H. I# S. G6 D8 p5 `9 d"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. 7 W8 ~* \' ]" S# W
; i9 z5 B, c4 T6 ?. o"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. 1 Y" E( T, W( A! C7 G0 Y) K b
& ?6 d9 w. O- a- Y6 w% f
"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. : S! p. ?' y& a6 |( b
: d% o, o' {# Q0 g* c8 [4 O+ ]) i"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." * v0 M$ C {! v
" q& ^, s h# g& o1 C/ A% t5 P* ?
The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. . E- x7 d; K! \) ~3 u0 Q# ]( |/ {
: p, j# t4 f: v; m i
Story from BBC NEWS:/ K" X( i! U7 \3 x* [6 y8 d2 W t: Q
% X% o/ B. H- i- q+ e0 H) [, a
[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|