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4 C1 V; V9 n( C/ n4 _. V说汉语者使用大脑更多部分* m6 F C" w' W" n w, l# |
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! t2 u. I1 i n! J7 e说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 2 S. ^7 ~8 C, T# a, r2 D1 F
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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。 9 q& ^. d* z) f/ D/ z6 g8 `
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。 ) C/ O, q! q2 P3 D: X5 X
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。
8 O3 _+ l7 j) k4 ]2 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。
s4 R$ t% r1 b2 u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。
6 C9 V- h6 f" N' d7 T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 _$ A3 `2 D. F5 P3 I: |" ^0 I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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Chinese 'takes more brainpower' & M$ X' [1 Z0 L' n8 }
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
/ p. J7 q) U0 ~7 S% SResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. " X" \: p. b$ Z3 J: c" Z
8 F) C3 J7 t3 t& U7 [$ M( G( xThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. ' p# h7 G( J7 L/ ]/ C
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. " F+ Z9 Q4 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.
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Brain scans 2 I0 ?" ~. h* p' u& ]* W/ P
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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. 0 c0 X# E4 `( H9 d1 Q, N0 x9 z. B
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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. $ A2 R: L* @( Q) I
4 y q$ T' k4 s( }. B( c4 J. ] d: lThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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* y9 |9 H# p h/ f$ \0 q, ZHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. % |, h4 w, {. Z% B* v4 a8 I
2 |; J; [% K { F/ R"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
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4 {% H/ ~5 g6 x1 m5 j"It overturned some long-held theories."
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Mandarin 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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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
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8 z% G! c$ j4 }6 U xThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. # E& o8 n, Y# f3 Y$ `
2 c4 ~! l0 f- IThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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$ Q, p: X/ A5 B$ Y"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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"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. 1 ~. d, u3 ^: 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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1 p9 u7 e" f1 o& _' s+ ?Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. : G0 ^- E5 q/ ], G% d/ \( L0 x
% x! p8 F$ h2 C# u8 y/ dIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
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1 j' `: E @& X+ o! j9 E. o' \She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. $ }; S1 X2 j' Z! t- z- p2 \( ?
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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. ! K; X4 Y3 d5 ]' l; a& u# z- j
( k$ B, d8 Q, Z/ O5 g5 G"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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# K* [( e; F& S) W* ]2 t"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." , S9 L. E/ n- v+ F4 |
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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.
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* H/ |* T; d' m! F" ?Story from BBC NEWS:7 w/ ^7 }( a% H y% T: ? s, i$ d) H
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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