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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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/ `6 K! s) t {* t. K说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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& F" K) b" W1 e; s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。
8 F8 w3 }9 ]/ {6 m7 U" m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。
; n; S G1 |% F* d: G8 w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。 ) V# W5 u% D; y. i0 ^) x q
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。 $ K- x0 Y% w2 n$ O4 }
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。
+ r& y$ A$ l) h5 B4 s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。
/ r: R5 b) _+ M3 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。5 w/ k% _) a% W2 J* ^9 `
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower' . h. j9 Q" J# T: d" G
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
( h& Q1 X1 c3 S4 M, K' IResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. * K9 X: C, f( J9 c
0 q; a8 {$ C9 E$ _ a3 D1 h0 ~) DThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. ( S* a& i4 H! T4 F4 _
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. 4 B0 P- E; Y# l- ]
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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.
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+ }( w0 P, H0 i7 G# O% ? P9 m: ?. ^Brain scans " m1 B+ }9 W7 B2 ^; O& j
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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. 6 b, P6 R: j# p
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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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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. # [* s8 r9 C. P n) `9 m0 l3 A
6 D) T: L, ~# u$ M8 O7 U" ]( ` AHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. & M7 u( S. H$ c5 O) c2 E. z: y
5 c- o1 D2 p# u0 F3 ]+ ^/ \"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. - \. n2 R# W5 [$ d
/ k, K- v) ]1 S9 y2 t* q5 g' }% a"It overturned some long-held theories."
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& C+ t6 l1 r; q2 Z& rMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. / a; P: a. W6 X5 @$ T M; ^
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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
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2 u( r" l( z7 V0 sThe 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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% n% d$ H3 x, |* L6 }"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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. A1 n& ^4 Q& A& x4 |- w"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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) w5 ?3 d4 d! e4 E" m: y% U"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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2 {6 r2 J) Z. J! I/ P5 l: F( w+ x9 |Learning languages
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. 9 o" q# Z% E" X* `/ v- ?0 r2 I
# m& Z7 [7 z% N7 I0 m1 aIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. 3 k7 }6 b% `5 P. w
% j# r" @5 e7 p0 R. ?- q) e' @. TShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. ; o# i1 Z, n) ?" A
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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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"This is something we can improve on." 0 o3 x# x; M8 _8 h
6 r3 }2 v+ S4 u, J. v: HDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 6 a( x8 k1 i7 U6 Y
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"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. % O! j2 [" x4 g9 m7 `
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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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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July.
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2 @; i1 w2 I8 l0 \Story from BBC NEWS:. a* [7 x" ~9 ~& a. b7 s& \9 L
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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