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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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- ?6 ? c( B' U+ H/ v6 v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。 # W1 j2 _! m; g- [( F
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。
" r/ o; p: p. T" Z( u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。
z( H8 a! n6 s1 i* B) F) E9 y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。
) a6 x% R+ E+ d: h2 f" ~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。 - b" h6 Z% T/ }" 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。 5 V* h5 k9 q# Z3 Q
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。
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: O2 V3 H0 Q0 _+ L& C) Y: TChinese 'takes more brainpower' & z, a2 c1 q: @; x" o! g0 |
% y L. t y! [# K$ T# k1 jSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. 5 V8 L$ T8 ^- d Y
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
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This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. + S. m, u5 I" ?0 ]+ h1 ^+ P7 D
# r6 t Z, Y) u% ZThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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# y e6 |% z2 Q! Y0 h8 w0 `2 vThis, 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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) x( R' M" `& y( ?+ z) J" NBrain scans " @& x" [* U. n! m% [
' u& P2 @8 i7 d Q$ i/ uDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. , e- ~( K/ }) a* j6 ^
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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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5 [, L6 R) ]+ lThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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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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4 q J1 D$ N. d2 S6 N4 x"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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9 i% [) ?' W3 V8 |Mandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. 6 U3 ^% ~4 K, k2 b- G* Q- R$ i
2 H1 o7 n" `, V- e X3 c7 x$ M4 BFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 6 v6 d' \. G% h5 q6 J
2 r! F5 i! z- B0 ^The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. 8 Q4 e( x1 {9 R
2 s3 l( [: m) I: Y9 s; {The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. 8 ^2 u; }$ c k' ?; k* H
' D9 R0 @0 V q+ K g! q2 j4 e' k"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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5 x5 p' ^- v4 B" \"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. ( e8 x: L' P/ F. C7 U9 z
; W6 f9 b2 K' W* z! }1 e"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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Learning languages . e0 ^# i1 O0 D9 a. \' _2 W
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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! L! Q; f7 Z+ G7 B: `% M- ]3 B( IIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. 4 y' B5 K- S* M7 S$ s5 U. k# A
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She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. 3 y9 B$ H8 F" `6 v3 K1 ?, [$ k4 `
6 Z- ]0 i- l# R! {# J; p7 X. w"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. ; G0 \8 R/ {3 c- ?' e/ j! [2 I
/ d" W# K P. z: W r9 M6 i"This is something we can improve on." 7 p& k6 B; R2 v* C$ r8 `1 m3 }
5 d! p) p( N0 A5 J: H, R8 q% A% EDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
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) X# W8 r: i/ B* B"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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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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# ^' q4 h' S8 h( c"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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2 |% h+ I; o$ s) }/ x/ _: U6 b8 h& VThe 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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/ K, ^- F$ N% A2 X- QStory from BBC NEWS:
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' J9 b4 f0 B! P$ K+ l9 ?9 k% k[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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