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1 T) j3 z1 x% G8 K; ^说汉语者使用大脑更多部分/ d4 y9 j2 U$ \7 b6 e7 G1 Z' C# ^
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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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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 C" m9 H& J0 H3 i
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。 ; C( `) t. o8 X: s* o: M& C
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。
0 d# Q2 `% g t6 u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' T2 M. x% a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。
+ E, W5 B, E/ O/ y$ 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。
7 K& q G1 p& B% ] Z8 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。; x6 g/ p! Q7 r' X$ R. M
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/ R% l/ ?" u# F* y# c$ SChinese 'takes more brainpower' 7 _, R+ {" z' K' t
7 }, G* h* a$ ?Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
Y, p1 N/ u# R3 V! @Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
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This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. ; G! O) P9 t o/ Q
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. - {: \; g" J7 h
$ d: n) F5 H. u3 p: \. \' lThis, 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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/ V3 c) D1 U4 P5 r7 U' {Brain scans & V& _% p8 K3 o8 m9 s( { ^, ^. n
) V9 r0 B4 S" N! wDr 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. 7 J% J) g' O7 z9 I
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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. + m, D+ C. O; k& z% E
/ u& c- r" r! L4 N& W$ Y6 v9 ?They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. / M, _4 M/ G2 ?& @/ V2 n: G7 D
: ~8 c" G; I, l2 [1 Z1 C& X"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."
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: J5 ?8 w; @0 k3 K+ Y4 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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" L) L+ B6 \* ~1 R: n9 zFor 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. 5 ~- {+ F6 z2 e: o4 I4 a1 P& N
- W S8 v' J( `& z! N$ ^The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. ( W6 X) S$ H& z: m
* f& g8 r% v+ W7 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.
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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. + e6 Y$ m7 `$ Z, N7 z* j
k# k4 j$ @; u9 o9 ?7 b"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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Learning languages 3 G9 M" u7 m {
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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2 C/ |$ ]! L% Q- e8 |It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
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She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. 8 w6 y- ~, U( F+ w7 C- \( j# B
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"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. + d0 U* o$ W. y5 O' O
6 w! J# ~8 \) p& i1 `"This is something we can improve on."
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% J7 c1 o& d' J+ n1 b- \+ [Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
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- S5 O$ c0 _, ?8 V"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
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"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. 4 W% A- s7 W7 b- a' x3 H
/ n* X4 k" P+ A0 U$ C"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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1 T8 l; H8 b k' `& C2 l"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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- p, C& z f' RThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. * M+ K# p0 y" X- i
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Story from BBC NEWS:
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: P2 U1 C i* L3 i2 Q- {' G! u[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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