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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分! c3 X' l( u) ~
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- h- w$ u* |' o; D; S4 E8 D说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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b7 d. H/ e3 i* M2 I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。
0 A$ R' [3 W/ ?) C. X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。 , X0 M$ [7 n* r7 C) _' q
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。
: S3 l6 N1 ?' q0 {4 r e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。 9 e! j0 m2 _/ H. 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。 & X& {9 c+ X1 Z: j5 y- I
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。 2 e! }9 O0 J& x" H+ y& G3 B
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。( g* H3 L( n. m' l' O; X
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6 o3 |4 g$ h5 E+ hChinese 'takes more brainpower'
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- p; Y8 N" I9 P- `8 uSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
0 {2 K8 h5 l! _, y9 o6 GResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 3 {# U, Q, Y# t- ~
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This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. : ?) p. p( l/ U) g% e" [5 F1 j& l
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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' ~* s$ z* g; d% GThis, 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. , w; ?! g2 u' E8 E; Y1 C# Q
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Brain scans % H. E) `5 e8 L' n- v
: T7 _$ t4 X$ r- q1 V: UDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers.
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1 o% x/ Q/ g; r1 \They found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. 5 X& _. ^9 z1 A$ D7 \& D2 ?8 c( l
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+ l6 N c9 ^0 l5 v, t6 p. ZThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. + Q2 h# c" q9 E! A0 w( c: T7 ^) {0 V
! M2 |3 [8 n+ ?, qThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. 9 E5 f# w' J+ E$ v) f6 v
' J: X$ ]3 @( ?+ G8 T. rHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
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" ?6 G+ x: l K: D v"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. & |& T9 g: F% e1 Q' y! y2 \& o
& P0 x4 ]) N1 M"It overturned some long-held theories."
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Mandarin 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. % p# U% V) n* }. @/ `, R
- |0 @0 f$ ], B2 x: T, fThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. . j0 D+ U0 N# `. Y9 @
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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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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; L' T$ v$ B- 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.
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: k- X+ i$ p0 U/ p$ q9 q2 C"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." 4 Q' K& x$ C5 J
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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. 4 H6 O) I' W. p: g( E
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She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. % [. ^ W& T# B6 n# V$ @9 E
' o: {( F9 |8 ?2 l+ U' S: p"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. , V7 M! a! n* j) K' @
7 `2 R2 }3 v, `"This is something we can improve on." ; u2 I3 g) F7 G5 O; h+ ? y
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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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5 I/ P5 g$ {- I"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. o. S9 _4 a+ j" D/ }! r) M
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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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0 ~* w7 `1 x2 h+ t9 _* m"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. * l P M$ @* a' w2 o# ]
) u* }. X8 S n* s3 m"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." 5 i% M( g+ D4 ?5 c, i
9 [0 g1 Q& M7 F* }4 nThe 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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$ |: ~9 [" C+ d9 P EStory from BBC NEWS:
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* \. f* x0 U- d1 O. \& b[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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