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4 q0 v d- |. K' o. k- {; y说汉语者使用大脑更多部分/ N2 l& k& o! O$ n' ^! g% g
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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。 ' w6 G7 Z! g. U* z) J3 S
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。 3 T9 [: Q" t6 p5 e
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。
9 v! G( W5 V6 K! K3 H. 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。 ; g2 u+ [- D' T P7 Y
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。 3 Y2 m3 ~- o( m& f; l' r
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。
' P% `, \) x9 Z5 V2 W1 U& X, {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。; n% l: p0 I( w1 ~" Y: G
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
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7 p5 y- a3 c- e# k9 Y3 jSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
6 E, o% ~6 ?! d2 X5 F+ fResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. - S- Y( |- m8 E& t
) B) ?7 p; C9 Q, [This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. ' z% E( ?2 u8 u" f7 G/ W7 v N
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The 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.
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. n0 T' i2 i8 n9 Z/ Y' J: GBrain scans
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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. - v4 [ T( K2 Z/ k2 l" M$ x
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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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) y( j! Q( S6 ~' lThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
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% G! m( I$ K) V ^: `2 Y- ^3 }& kThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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# ]" \! q. W9 u% _However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. 9 X1 D2 N$ o/ t% b
+ Z( A/ i: W) D* j9 b' ]: E"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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4 ~; T" E j9 O( e, sMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. + }' P. b! R/ \* E- Y4 A7 r( p
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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
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; H; N' D+ {8 i% T$ x t( g7 QThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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6 N4 E& W- b! A8 U' E4 W! i7 m"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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+ @6 o, @' I) I' }"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. / i$ ~" G$ u5 f6 Q* U& S
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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." * @; m W) b* ]% h
0 Y9 y3 \2 K7 M9 \9 L; E; u4 ALearning languages x& a% j+ |. N: F2 E
* a e( P* x2 @+ E* d+ P- B0 NDr 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. + d4 k6 E& B; i' y+ w% N
4 L5 ^1 T# F- c/ }# \5 pShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. 9 L7 K7 N1 q4 E' Q) S
! x( l( R# J2 X"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. # u# O$ C9 c! |+ t
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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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6 n5 j1 [- [9 u3 G1 a+ Y. b- e"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. - h; F9 S, R& K( V
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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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"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." 6 }$ Z2 E* S! B
. M' k' V- J- T/ x/ @3 F# mThe 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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7 L* R6 `; J* C# J% _( q+ lStory from BBC NEWS:4 `2 _& i( ?% L; @, Q( g/ z5 b
4 e8 ?6 y/ C% L8 j o' p[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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