 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT
5 U5 ?% y8 S& K9 i- V. @! t说汉语者使用大脑更多部分. { i, T% X) n, v2 q- @+ }7 ^
. @- q6 d0 f5 ]; {, w5 @
; W7 h" u" j7 N% N& U" M9 r说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
8 v. y. Y% Y- W- H2 [5 `. _1 X% Y* \- C: X
& P1 }0 \/ l3 j+ i8 z, Y% j
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。 ) K3 v, G$ I4 Y( l0 N4 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。 / `5 E6 P$ C, q+ R
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。
" }* e6 P) l7 `* O0 s# x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。 & Q" b" A2 M, \; g6 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。 : A8 z9 P" y% [' ` 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。
. \" ~) l0 C! X/ _) E, Y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。) |; t5 A# Q) M j2 r1 u5 E5 t# M
) H8 j* |6 t$ P7 K
6 e- B$ _$ \ W0 o; n
Chinese 'takes more brainpower' 1 f& a) l* r( U3 l% I/ G8 n$ N! T
# |! `; x! ]% S% V: o
Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. F7 m" G3 ]# F8 C0 W' M
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
- _4 L; p/ {3 A+ [* j1 z* m; J/ W* O! S' H( j
This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
' D# k/ S' ^# L% i4 i: O
! O _( q* @$ u8 rThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. 7 }8 J8 B) f3 R( z: V
4 l& m: q' b( w1 H' W4 O$ T
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.
, ^6 x% Z/ W7 D/ a5 D$ k
4 a% }# K0 I/ T0 U3 W% N y, WBrain scans # B' O6 [7 {; `& o9 A
5 E' B, ] V" ]# P) BDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers.
1 p$ M( w: N# U! V4 c+ G3 U1 Y
! } y5 V& A% y+ i' YThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
: J4 p; i( u: a) e, p9 E# E5 R2 c* e* l7 y( {: m8 h. Z! P) ]6 O8 k" o* u1 r
! {9 w1 t' [. a! \7 ]; {" v/ OThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. ( |) j1 n% E9 Y, f/ Y
6 c! U( L: D+ e* E" c5 V5 Y1 hThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. 6 Z X5 h& D- r, P, r$ k
, Z& d. S) y3 ^( U
However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. + o6 {, o& N/ L! h# ~ C! y/ i, Q
9 \, S# e1 ]5 s: w3 [
"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. + {6 t8 @$ O U/ O
7 v! |: N5 b( c, i
"It overturned some long-held theories." 9 _/ P: c+ V' F+ B# j
1 a0 |$ \/ |6 {9 B( L: b5 t
Mandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. 3 h9 [( g, z& p7 o
) v" ^7 f- h* a" ]For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 6 L5 j) x1 O+ P! M
% Q/ U; R E# g" sThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
- t" E# d) F w! Y2 q+ C/ c3 r; c2 x8 m$ j
The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. , w( h# w( v9 t. m+ R
2 m# V3 C) W' v2 }, j"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.
9 ~( A" {, }- c; P0 n3 B
+ i7 i- o4 u. q a# w. ]9 y8 l"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. 0 _/ q7 R+ W1 E# A& D
4 p) Q1 b8 U+ t
"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
: L) V% Y9 `) @% E% o% K+ V; t" T5 E l9 T$ P
Learning languages 4 Q" T& T8 K. }& _. L# n% w3 a5 q
9 W6 [6 Y; k* W/ U* U7 L# P9 pDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
" k" R: J2 n& `+ J. o2 v8 @; q! z' a2 X
It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
& ~) L; Y& m, \4 ?+ w0 A5 h H# Y7 n* C9 A3 I" _$ Q/ |$ L" J6 O
She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
1 a. }$ I C" N. J
$ b" {6 _; g9 ?" e, _" U; W5 q"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said.
+ z( g/ i9 z6 F# {$ |3 I4 K1 h# h0 \
"This is something we can improve on."
$ A1 K& n; }5 v; \, m2 y" A9 |
3 @5 Y5 e; G$ b- r3 aDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
0 `" d0 f' v5 i9 N' U% x( \2 L6 \
# x) `- a8 R0 m! F9 x8 y3 r"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. 8 Q$ r$ Q4 O' i; y" l; p9 q+ ^
" t; j) B- M! D6 S
"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. / K+ s: `$ x' Y( T' G6 H4 k: l+ S
) r5 Z& M9 l; T4 |' v" o"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. 3 ~- s& p/ e, U9 H
8 x( o* y# V. r! j" P8 Q"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." 2 b2 n0 [" @! o' J# ^/ G+ N
8 X, h) X" T9 m1 A4 q2 }* E5 H
The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July.
$ |! U* m, L0 v; S, s+ I
; b# u9 H& O/ h6 iStory from BBC NEWS:
3 H' b. T1 T6 G( p8 Z/ l# t6 w' b4 W9 L* c. Q, j. W
[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|