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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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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。
& q0 Z+ I( Z+ @4 G( j4 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。 : R7 B2 T, |5 {6 g( c5 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。
6 X) d! {- `" K' l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。 , B( E2 c: ]* ^' T, [, \2 I4 `
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。
6 D" R5 P/ h, C1 [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。 * n9 N0 L; P; C8 P
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。* A* t* J! i/ l! o/ f5 \* Z
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower' / O# Y' @& M. H" q+ k
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. + }8 T! \# {& k% C" S/ e' I( z
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. - } X! l4 |% [% f: \4 Z, n
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This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. 8 F$ K; q1 F# @/ S$ W( p- g
- y* W! g8 f+ B- }, T' W: GThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. `; e9 i$ N* d& ]3 ]9 y- N
# o9 {) m3 N0 ^& YThis, 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. 1 d7 `. K" M6 K8 H
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Brain scans
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6 V2 p( s5 i5 Y5 {( |Dr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. / a; M) x- u4 f
: W$ Z; M! w1 |$ q$ m. W& w6 LThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
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: f! \. ^$ G( e hThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. 1 r2 M6 D) }( E3 l
7 t- K0 b9 Z' i( O2 B2 j. fThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. & o# @3 A. }: Y
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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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"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
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: W" Y# k$ d$ R! Z$ E; P4 _"It overturned some long-held theories." - M4 U- @$ G# Z) g( D0 K
0 A# R2 H2 a* W0 O6 y7 jMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. + p* u4 w4 Y: z# v
3 c* b4 ]/ X' k8 ~" mFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
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, @2 Y' ^. ?+ ^* f& }The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. 0 r' ]$ r, m& {2 E+ \. f
* `6 V6 F1 e* WThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. ; z; W5 J6 R8 Q# q. @6 m
* \7 ^4 g- @4 Q) |/ s"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.
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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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: l8 H, i8 }+ J6 y2 BLearning languages 9 Y; s _3 e+ O- H9 {
, ?7 @) U5 z: L1 D% A( VDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. ; t) K+ }! f) U9 k# @
" Z) L- N% x2 n) K3 ZIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. - j7 c! K0 A0 A4 ~$ }
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She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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1 S0 o4 Z8 n9 }+ J. }5 @$ m+ V"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. 7 o3 v, Q a$ J6 J: f* a- A' d
7 K7 X6 P* g0 g( m* s* c& v"This is something we can improve on." 8 Y2 }/ l ^ E
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Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. ( V. V9 _5 t9 {, l
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"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
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"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. 2 p i+ W0 K! q- V
2 @5 R9 x* H* m" s; D& V# s"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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$ w: u# Z; K) L/ P4 g8 dThe 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:' g ]8 s6 @3 w7 h; F
- ~9 ]3 Z: s9 T. G[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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