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( g8 c) {7 [7 ^: |说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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, O- ^1 D) Y# c6 x6 `) w6 g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。
7 H% U9 A2 l1 B2 k: R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。
) H8 W! l9 T) I: ?$ t0 s# j, l3 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。 # C# ~" L* h, A8 p: T
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。
~$ a* K! j( w: Z' [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。
$ T8 R) B( R; I& X$ ]" ?$ W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。 8 {( u# c0 p2 j/ ~
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。# |8 d" A9 F/ l& s
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower' ' x! t# V& m2 Q/ Q
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. 4 }. w4 }2 P0 I4 ]2 I" F
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 6 L1 S. C2 _" Q/ I* G: b
7 b9 ]; J# b o6 LThis 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. 2 A" D; r5 r1 x4 w8 m' A
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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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Brain scans 9 Y; o$ }2 k4 d4 X
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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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2 P' F" l; B( L. q: z; tThey 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. . o0 y0 F4 M& l) f A3 r# {
: K4 D4 h- @- z/ Y8 l8 wThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. : p) F3 \! y; ^; _1 @' A) q
! L. W8 @ ~: z- VHowever, 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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6 y* P( x0 x" ~3 |; `"It overturned some long-held theories." ! o7 w8 W$ }7 R% N4 a
3 @$ i7 S2 v- TMandarin 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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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 4 I2 y+ v0 I: x6 e3 u
( L, j2 ?- U: y, G: m& L0 N" nThe 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. * b+ r8 g' v* c1 Z/ E% t
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"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. 1 a7 R e8 n& ]
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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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Learning languages
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P: w) j- w! Z [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. 8 k+ _5 r* x7 U Q$ i; N1 t2 w& o' R1 `
6 A0 N% x+ M; Z0 l* H0 mShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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# Q. g6 @1 Z) O6 f9 D"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. + d, B9 G5 E8 t0 T
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"This is something we can improve on." + [& D' x" M% X- v1 u: h$ J0 a7 F
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Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
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- D9 ]! [+ i( O"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. 4 x b* ]4 D% f7 j2 B0 m* ^ @
|7 Z2 O0 k. ^3 D6 G% k b" ["Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. . t' \6 F6 k6 o4 d+ f& n9 n
8 L4 l2 S9 F- r# {$ z7 U u"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. 0 o+ P# ]: b8 ^, u) @$ t- `6 A
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"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." ! b3 h8 S) {: b( K3 U
% q4 I; n" M) r& JThe 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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Story from BBC NEWS:: h8 [& a5 w. ]* k m
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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