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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分2 G' O x' m9 M0 M. y3 Q
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: S. ?6 Z0 A7 i5 w. P说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 0 I; c& g# A8 _# I4 V
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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。 ' R7 c7 N7 R1 o7 \' Y" u
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。 2 _. D4 H1 t) o; q" u. l
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。
, N2 T0 W- N/ y" n0 u1 R3 f! l* i4 Z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。
& c/ l) D$ g3 b5 S$ k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 v; H& j( v# d, U' w0 H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。 5 V' K4 D- x# ?
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。" }. p9 N0 p, X% L! k
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; D$ b# Q2 n9 `- b6 [0 xChinese 'takes more brainpower'
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+ \8 s& `8 W4 w( _* c" W* e- RSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
3 [& J# }8 O, F, wResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. k. {9 Q& z9 y0 _5 W, ?' p( H# Z
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This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. 7 r X" _$ B! U# e: p4 V4 g5 T) n
1 s* d" V: b0 R" k7 M7 g3 n, ]The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. & ?- s ?8 g- t5 h
3 x# _: x" F' @% ?; wThis, 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. ! F2 {9 n- s0 g0 J5 G" f6 u' G7 J
4 a! i. w) {% V; W" W0 x e7 ZBrain scans
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, [2 M+ `) E; iDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. # A" d4 M- G# @, a/ h$ X
2 N. H6 d9 \% VThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. % W' X) }8 k$ O) y' K
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- |9 D; }0 R9 H2 D2 d7 zThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
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8 i3 X# F0 o; N! T7 T; TThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. - `' g$ [) D- s7 B8 _ i
: Q' t3 a- B, T* V( R' w. z$ v- wHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. 0 C/ r8 R; E x! ~
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"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. 1 w+ d9 q4 t, [: j \
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"It overturned some long-held theories." ) k. b. r7 F# v: y. i' K
; P5 o& V: t1 SMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. " I, V" f$ [1 Z3 V
' t7 x4 E F u2 V7 KFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. K' D, D1 w# x9 e- o) q( Z& |
$ ^0 n1 d/ B1 l$ ~The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
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: j; S7 C/ ~! I0 g; T/ n$ tThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. 7 J9 k; B% s5 O; o* a/ f
+ t/ [" y! H; D _6 r9 X# H"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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8 m7 x* G( E; g6 F: E6 n"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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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." 2 @+ p! I" F6 b% |7 B2 t# d! ]
; K8 N+ {1 [. J3 WLearning languages
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% g2 \! K: m% }$ Q* f$ vDr 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. 7 n" D6 M$ X) M4 E1 ?6 |5 ?
( N% n7 P) U2 U( \9 T$ Z) TShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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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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) Y" Q" b) w) c( [$ \' e"This is something we can improve on."
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4 p6 m H t S0 w1 [, D3 {Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 8 f9 m# H4 Y$ A0 u
- L. v" C" I8 m"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. 2 w: x4 |1 l# t( z4 O: n
' V" q/ N. I1 ]7 K1 K* f"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. 4 Z; \: L \" H4 ~( r
% y# q' I0 M. F7 H/ p6 L4 J"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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5 ]! N( \! n* \; g6 N$ SThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. $ o+ m: _0 U& x7 ~- ?
4 l+ m" @: d, i' tStory from BBC NEWS:% t5 `: b0 q/ N* T$ V8 [
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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