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3 V" ?/ I! k+ ?说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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- @7 W2 ?3 _% K$ H1 P0 [0 V" Q- f说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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: {0 B0 r1 B9 M5 r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。 . d1 S- k$ w6 ?9 p* B: \
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。 ! k) x) Y- U% F5 m
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。
% a* x# Q0 J2 H* |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。 , L B& C7 c6 [5 t4 B 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。 / }1 {5 _: M. K* }- n
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。 . S4 j7 |" ]- w* c6 _( ~3 ]
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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Chinese 'takes more brainpower' 1 y) O7 Y! i# O+ A
3 S/ `# F) h( J3 z# ?3 w3 a& h% iSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. 7 v+ |. T* s: ~6 d0 w6 ] Q
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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8 O$ B; W: }; x q7 ]6 uThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. - v; K1 z% W# \. r5 I0 M
% m' R9 M* ~/ \& F6 F- C) oThe 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. ' ]4 d. [( l9 M3 N; E1 f4 x$ x7 ?
2 \ E, D/ y4 v( t# {Brain scans
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1 X' R O @$ JDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. : V7 ?7 i" a- T: D
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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.
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8 ~; `- a! B T/ K& B5 kThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. 8 ?# {6 @4 C) I2 R ?; L
# L. X" z4 G( n& s: L& zThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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) y& s- X- v2 }2 ^4 ZHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. * O9 S0 K C6 G! P9 |, o
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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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"It overturned some long-held theories."
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l, _. Q7 \+ o* a) X- D, aMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. 3 @! I4 v/ k m: L( I D. W* `
5 W9 K: w0 E' u) O" kFor 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. 4 n# i& u- x- S& R
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. 8 v$ P% i# p( K
& Y4 l# n6 M* i% e9 v) F"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. 2 j, R t6 R+ ]3 C1 _
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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.
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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." , D1 Z, z# z! `. j& q" z) N+ G
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Learning languages
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( A9 l& r4 n3 a" M2 r' J. N+ P6 w1 j: `Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. " @% |- |; ]; D7 a+ S' p. B* b
+ R8 L5 ^' y X: S6 h1 `It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. ) a- P( A9 ~" i& y0 S: {* } ~
: m8 V) P) ~7 H) V' `She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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$ Z2 p8 m3 `" |; S* Z+ L- ?"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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"This is something we can improve on."
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* ?+ x$ P4 B" xDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 1 g. K% O- Y4 p6 a- n |
5 v7 [/ O' m4 k o) @: d- E"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. - T" e8 j' A% p8 @3 C0 Z# q
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"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. * {4 a1 K+ @7 U0 f2 v) b
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"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." / b( i Y/ a9 [' }) I! i
1 L# \. ~8 r1 {+ c! K2 c" ZThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. 5 ]5 Z% ]# s% Y/ \1 _
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Story from BBC NEWS:
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: |6 `9 G3 M4 i: m9 I4 k# _) ?[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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