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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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% d/ x- @/ K; Y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 o5 P6 y G5 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。 8 r2 e2 |. r0 u& w9 m6 D4 O2 H3 V
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。 5 W2 I" d7 v# a% [- ~
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。 0 H |" c& P( z% N4 d0 y8 P: W+ D
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 _" G2 ^! i+ Z* ~
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。 ' y9 f3 c0 z4 ^ p/ ?3 Z8 U! l
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'
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. 6 g+ O/ r o" {8 ?" r4 K
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 9 L' z* W1 w$ z# w/ {
* K8 G% a9 _ {9 S( o3 W9 cThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
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t9 [5 L! M; {: u: w0 q; Z& xThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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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. * m- j1 H+ V4 M t+ H0 m- {2 [7 M
+ e) E7 P8 t/ r8 jBrain scans 9 `7 v& d+ u" {9 ?
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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.
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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 y' a- R( m" e$ dThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. + j/ e0 q. ]( N( E5 X
$ t7 p9 c6 N% |8 \! v& _( s$ TThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. ' {5 X2 c# t8 ]* c% i2 i8 q" U
! x4 W1 S8 d6 U/ Y8 ^3 h8 P: nHowever, 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.
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7 ~& a- W1 B" B9 N"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. ; I0 S+ s( \0 z7 P. _
) d7 f, `( X3 T6 i; T" ?6 [7 T# E' L. fFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
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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. 9 j, c6 a% [% ~8 @' V0 z7 r: R$ b
6 c' W( e" o4 d* n* Z, @8 SThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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, P' Y" a" d ~4 J) W"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. ; N. n0 @9 Y2 r. S0 ^9 @, _1 r
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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. % M/ N9 z7 J# U8 r8 Q5 E
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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." 8 R% @4 \: _7 B9 O. a7 l
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Learning languages
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9 J5 a$ }& i, m+ hDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. * j h0 m8 Z! q5 ~. ~& |6 B% X
- _1 |8 j8 g0 m+ @5 ]# a; `) IIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
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) n& C9 v" _0 [" ]' G# K( |/ h1 PShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. ' W9 T9 }: y# D: ~- \3 T
! \3 l! o% c5 x, W/ p7 C( w4 F$ w"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." 2 m/ G; r" F! l4 i. t- _
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Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. + u& Z. S p% g# }% B/ U
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"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. ; }6 e# s' v- n! Y* [& w
! r# F. q( s# f1 d"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. 3 d* b- c; r& U' Q2 V
# P$ k0 v" g' c9 F"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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, O' b, c4 {& O, r" m"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." ' t# C p1 ]5 A% l8 c8 S& [7 }$ s
; l1 z5 s/ f% G4 z# nThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. 2 ~; E. L) [/ B, H$ V
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Story from BBC NEWS:
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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