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2 V6 K; U0 _+ i0 [说汉语者使用大脑更多部分! Q" S0 f: y7 q) Y7 n
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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。 * h7 J" T* h( f7 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。 + ^* R- e' a" } _6 B. X G3 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。 ! H% k M0 X' ?; J- 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。 ; s8 M5 _( m$ j# e& {, ?
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。
9 B( V% S! w, C: f0 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。
6 q" G, G! x6 p0 ~. j. W6 \" w/ |9 \' F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。
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' n, s9 h3 G9 p6 DChinese 'takes more brainpower'
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/ D2 P( N- q; I, I/ D9 m! RSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
4 Z3 V, _5 z' V0 S$ fResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. # n e c& H. X4 W
) t0 M. y- U" G5 p- u4 V, jThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
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& t2 X4 v* _8 MThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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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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$ }5 M$ x0 f4 H( ^Brain scans
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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. " P1 x& z u& r. A
; n( f/ {, G" _# u/ R7 R' _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. " y" F; g( W( |; F( j% s1 I! q, g
, S q) Q: ^1 W0 t; LThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. 6 a4 Q1 c9 z6 `; G
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However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
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) A9 Q1 Q4 E T* z$ ~9 q"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. ! u1 l! ]" ~. \. A+ g
% y2 |; T R7 U"It overturned some long-held theories." ' _1 }% ^- A& O8 K* Z+ Q
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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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9 N$ T3 j' f; k' D" ]For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. * T4 s5 g1 ^, N8 b$ h
2 G& G' `7 g! c0 R5 D1 S6 tThe 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. 8 P, v. }) V2 F% K) w
% A' N8 e+ m% G, _% ]' g$ [7 w$ n# E+ ]"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. 4 N: ~, J$ g& N7 X: }' T
* Z- w( L7 B, a) D8 Y"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. 2 f! I0 ?( H( Y
, P! l. ]9 E6 X! q3 O"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." 0 z; ^4 \# o* o# X( l1 w
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Learning languages
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- O! I5 o. C6 n. x- JDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. 6 R, Z( h9 `: C6 ~# n% }
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It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. 7 n3 m( S9 I: n' h- _: e
! \0 V6 E& N' M# lShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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0 H7 P& `8 N, a. m"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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% t6 v' b. |: y) e( E# E"This is something we can improve on." , g0 ^/ w* V4 n0 N+ J& a
, z2 |- \; A& m& E# x0 j+ XDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 2 `3 U3 T: E2 ~8 l y/ }* `; D
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"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. 5 g" \' M( f; n! _/ V+ C. I
, v* v; i. _; N1 ?; H+ m( v% H"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. & C' W, J$ E9 R' A+ p
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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. 9 W" r, v1 w4 ? c# G' `5 q
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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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, z3 U1 V& f, {3 N" j3 lStory from BBC NEWS:- G8 ]& _+ c& M( h! |9 E
, ~2 c C) O2 A( h0 ?( Y[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-1-23 at 10:43 PM ] |
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