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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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8 s- F9 L$ p8 ]( u8 V: K5 B3 |0 Z说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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$ |3 J, J0 L2 n& i0 ~* A# {- D; E1 a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。 " I3 q$ f* c; V; \0 `
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。 7 ]% Q6 P! S9 u+ f3 w
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。
u ?7 ]9 |2 i3 h4 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。 ; s2 o. o8 J8 g. w, h
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。 5 K+ m& w( _3 m6 {8 I; 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。
9 u- M, w6 m( _0 C4 W$ `1 `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。. e* |' S. |* v& \7 V% n
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9 S) M. I4 e4 u d& N$ s4 O* R) gChinese 'takes more brainpower' , S- Z ~( ~( |* m4 m9 x* G+ y
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
7 E% S7 u# ~& O. Z: qResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 2 I/ Z: a3 b( S6 `
$ f, X5 I) K) D" tThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
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$ v5 ~- l, c8 N) YThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. $ X$ K* q8 E# i) @* U% P
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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. + ?( e r4 R6 Q5 d* E" Y2 e# ]. Z
" _; w& g! _5 M. fBrain scans 6 Q2 A' V9 d8 l% g7 h4 j, f
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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. 2 K( o5 S; ?0 h9 C% K5 w2 ~
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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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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. 5 R' T# ^& q7 p- x; g& y! h
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. # W8 C7 s4 Q' R( y7 `. Z
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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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3 U0 y" h. d+ [/ V% Z"It overturned some long-held theories."
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. ~% m; z, f* a, m$ n: Z; iMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. ! Z' L; {) L" b$ a
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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. , D6 a0 f7 g* t, s
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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. % ]8 {7 a0 z; M6 N& P% Z1 d7 [- i
& E9 ^; y8 ]" G" e% B; H/ ?* KThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. " o/ o& T% C8 K( L, F
( h4 G/ R+ ~& G: j$ L"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. 7 I, p$ x1 X' [, ~: A4 Y. I H
# w" i) [& g/ `# O ]' Z) 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. ) l( \$ M" v( L( w0 D% r
( R# R* G' j3 Y4 {( d/ @3 q"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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4 p4 V! ~1 s- L2 e& g% |5 tLearning languages
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, X( T0 s# Z2 K' U* hDr 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.
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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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/ g, |. r M6 t: z# ]4 t8 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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"This is something we can improve on."
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Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
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"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
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/ e% e, c, z0 K) G8 |2 a% T0 r"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. / y3 `# l- Q" m
; Y0 `0 m2 |* T* _! K6 Q& |"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. 0 w/ t. G' I0 G% A! Z
- c7 V) b1 |4 ~9 j7 N+ @% [) S"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." 2 J7 M. h5 C7 f
0 I- q# ], q6 I# iThe 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:
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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