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- ^( O2 [2 u: U" o4 X& p1 Y说汉语者使用大脑更多部分' H$ O: ^. ^- d. i9 i4 a9 X
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1 j- J+ o$ y- B; a5 ?说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 " O6 c# B& M; E& i- s4 `
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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。 " C$ A3 o6 n0 w4 h: U8 o
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。
2 \; \: F, C1 L$ E' r. B8 b1 g5 ~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。 $ Q9 n3 N/ B! H& b
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。
; w: P5 M# ]* { H E7 ~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。 4 [6 ^6 j% c# J7 {) ?% {0 x+ M
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。
d# L, l i! [1 X: J- o. @3 b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。( W) O) C& ]' X% }: t
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" A F& z" i4 B' f& p' o) mChinese 'takes more brainpower'
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7 p8 @ R5 @2 XSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
1 X' q% q% p) K9 z q6 S3 s6 O7 AResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
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/ j2 R: ~3 q) F; n/ [! j2 z! q; VThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. " K; i8 Q+ l' S1 h7 e
0 D# G3 Z; j9 ?) |3 lThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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, ~+ C: Z( c/ B3 bThis, 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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Brain scans
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$ E$ s# \& D+ i& p/ c0 W& z4 HDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers.
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# Y; h! U1 R' [# b4 |! p! MThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
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2 E S( n( x$ H) dThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. * S/ Y5 o9 I* j( x) ?1 H1 b
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. ; Q+ }( n8 Q a$ o! o& l6 \
! P/ r, t B0 D/ i6 J$ \, MHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. 9 O% ^, l# h& F
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"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. # R% e. e: E1 r
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"It overturned some long-held theories." 1 f( v/ k, d4 x, ?. p) s
, [+ _3 x- t- k+ OMandarin 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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- ^& v& m' ^# ]7 nFor 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.
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- I6 P! L# v: D! K6 B# kThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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* q* Z3 h$ g5 |/ j A Y% o+ A- D$ q9 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.
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; q7 w, f5 M% ?) z8 Z& X: H3 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. 7 n. k- S3 f; k M0 R5 Q+ {
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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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Learning languages
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Dr 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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"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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$ ^# D1 o* A) s. x5 ["This is something we can improve on." ( a9 p- Q7 a4 C- E; P
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Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. ! F4 i) n( W" N0 B! N' N
& d9 T/ F4 J* ]$ r9 k- R"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.
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+ c/ x/ n- B* f/ C, b2 G. }& k"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." 4 d' v; ~9 n5 |
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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. ' K1 h' i. z$ q! L1 C& e2 M
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Story from BBC NEWS:
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/ K# G& V; u- l, q. F/ y( T" J[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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