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; D9 l: I" m# L7 V说汉语者使用大脑更多部分- f( z* `" T" [) V
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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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1 g9 i& y1 c" e+ J) }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。 1 B" j) B% F" F8 s2 k
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。
1 f1 v& w- ?" H8 I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。 ) } q+ R$ v" T9 A& g- w
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。 ( E3 A; c$ J: S5 H6 a4 ~/ `
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。 + L1 b( T+ R* H' 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。
3 G2 d# l& f6 k; i8 C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。 p' H. n& A& ^1 [- Q
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3 X) K2 w; z& k7 e" Q# o! OChinese 'takes more brainpower' 3 j$ D- K* s7 g) W) C5 k% ]
X3 o5 K; o! d+ A/ sSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
1 u/ f( v7 ^) \ J4 H0 CResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 9 E7 ~ s5 R% n) S/ \# i7 [- @
0 i) m8 y; _2 aThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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2 z) D* j" v. Q" O6 B* s2 FThis, 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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, u6 S [% A# x# H& Q. p. |6 j/ V& ^Brain scans 7 `1 _$ t' N1 [/ a b: b4 M
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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. ' V9 n0 F6 j; T" `6 P1 q; ^
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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. T4 H8 E9 L% X% G6 I& q
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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. . A# W# t7 d# b; k. H& ?8 p
4 U+ |5 G/ Z- Y/ O" [4 GThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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! a3 `# v( V' o) }/ c ]$ F: d& @However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
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: t- s. {0 p, Q) ^! Y) f3 x5 \7 N4 y! P"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
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"It overturned some long-held theories." 4 Y @& `& a9 v% p0 k" J" d
1 A$ n. B8 x$ p$ N+ g6 d0 P& V1 nMandarin 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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9 K, U! m9 Y2 t2 eFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 9 c; l% `& {4 |- S5 @
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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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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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7 w; A) @+ ?7 x7 L* i, @) ^"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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, ?" L2 X' u) I5 d( H% i7 f0 o0 ["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 c; s9 B# |. b9 s3 e- T8 }"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." " M P/ X1 c1 j- o# K7 j2 R/ c. ~
" o% [! @4 V2 T2 Y' ?Learning languages
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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. 2 E9 S$ \3 `. Z
% A6 |- H3 O& O4 ^1 d. v& y: wShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. 3 ~3 @% w4 L" {% a* J
9 C! H" \3 `8 N' i"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. ! f% P1 `3 K z; d6 @
% T$ n8 o2 ` P# A$ C/ U- B- G- M$ Z"This is something we can improve on."
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Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. " ]; J5 @8 \2 w
7 V- B. G6 r2 Y+ Q% z, ~"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. % P3 d$ ^. Z- X. t! R$ F
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"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
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3 L9 F5 r/ ]6 g+ D"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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! y: Z$ k( \4 I, H+ d% i- \2 _"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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o9 t7 P2 G! e6 g) s5 i$ N I" ]The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. ! H ?6 T# g7 M5 F+ } `2 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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