 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT: [+ f2 S8 ]. q
说汉语者使用大脑更多部分5 Q3 F! g3 d% B C+ T- u
+ e( o$ J2 |3 G8 X) O9 K1 D# h% T/ V
2 n+ c$ e }5 ~说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
1 h1 { U1 P5 B- V" {
& n# q4 q6 W8 T2 z/ ?. d. x# s6 M3 r6 `3 P5 n7 p: i7 \% y9 x3 k$ t
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。 ( [" f5 l5 ^8 Z2 ?4 F, ?
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。 $ [: m9 B0 z5 m+ C+ T
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 b7 R6 C# `: P
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。 % w7 I6 D* h; Q/ V+ 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。
3 E' z s. ^6 n) d; K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。 ! V& c/ D$ W. T
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。
* ~# Q8 h0 l2 R% V- U* {
1 Q5 L2 _" A7 D. b( b3 K& D; S. N& P5 X$ W
Chinese 'takes more brainpower' ( T& l; a ?* H
' \8 w( R% P6 r
Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
# { C2 Z# e; u2 X, EResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
: ~: O% A4 Q. f2 ~- j
! A' ]# j3 K L+ c3 ]6 D3 tThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. , V' a; ?1 S+ N! L
# |3 S7 k* J# tThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
, x6 r6 t( [4 H" m$ }& X/ C; B8 r+ J/ B1 W8 J- X0 y4 A7 w
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.
7 C- A; a: S c8 x! d
# `8 E$ P& L' q c" W7 x. K* x3 C8 O6 ^Brain scans
1 l+ R! L- J1 P: I, N1 T
; j/ @' M: n9 H- \* N: eDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. ' G; i1 a9 F- m- E" d# |* t
3 q+ ^) @1 n9 S% RThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
5 Q+ E5 `$ a( j; m; x* \: a V1 S1 ?7 v h9 j! C7 x! M
! ]) ~6 e0 x9 e/ J
The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
: s4 B* b2 n3 A% O% s: d# {4 G+ ^: ] o* c4 x
They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
5 d# e, i, `; S5 Y
+ E y/ B" o3 i4 AHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. / ?+ A6 G8 U$ ]" u+ a8 s$ i
, o) P' T4 \% n% h% i4 t4 Q+ n* I. v# m2 E"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
8 }" K6 z4 q5 X9 N5 k& o2 }2 y2 A$ g9 U! b$ g% V+ `. A+ S3 f+ a
"It overturned some long-held theories." / P/ w8 { ^2 v8 A9 e
7 Y6 ~( m4 R) q8 D5 t p2 r# hMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. 8 g1 P& {9 p# I S% `
; H' ~+ H, a! s% v q
For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
1 {4 w7 F; u& ~1 ^4 h6 W e% w! _1 f
The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
' P) x6 b* A2 ^$ p7 M
; i; K- F& o: w( GThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. 1 L- V% ?1 w: v/ l2 k9 Z; j
3 [3 ~, A! E$ E+ g
"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. , i, z7 f# T! F! O6 Q+ _. k7 K
/ }% S% l+ k4 M5 Q$ {' _"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech.
5 P0 }. c: f! B) U1 I# V5 m' O- |
"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." ' K2 a8 E) m# M# n7 m& D1 C9 S
0 ?. J0 M0 ?( T; W1 u- z1 \' f
Learning languages + P7 b0 b) N9 ?
. O) |' `2 p% C1 y/ [8 {
Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. / s% Z9 f$ c w2 k: j9 |5 t
7 U) r7 l3 D- _, tIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. " f) M% `( Z* T/ O1 f/ E
: _' u: W- e3 z( B: v& j; FShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
- H2 J1 d! Y. f' B: K: N1 b4 C5 o: @$ P1 ~
"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. * ^1 l8 e2 `8 t2 }5 E
( C, j$ ]0 x7 ]; e5 w"This is something we can improve on." + N" A! {: z |/ e h+ U6 A
9 z, h* I* n" s, ?- }5 tDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
G1 p6 n* A/ a" ]4 s- L6 ^: {2 ?& k! G- D" q: L
"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
% u7 O6 x9 v: j: U7 n, G# z( o- E+ P5 v( x- A
"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
0 t J! m* [' X" y/ }% I
& ?8 G( c! `. l' F8 }# h& T: P"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. 8 K' j2 K4 b0 D6 L+ f
0 j, U4 Z9 A# n4 V- y$ v
"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." 8 }$ N5 o' A9 g% N
3 G# r9 L5 M. \0 z" I7 H* h+ q
The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July.
* N( M. g$ _* r& }
# y Q4 q: v) X4 h: j+ @* g/ QStory from BBC NEWS:% u1 k8 j/ B* h6 e
9 l8 D: S: v. I' n[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|