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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分7 v" I& Y0 B, D6 z3 C, ^$ Q
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说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 3 h4 r- A& C0 U: X$ ^# ^
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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。
; O, o/ l# j0 _7 i. q8 d5 c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 s) Q% L% S( Y6 ]8 }0 a; ]4 f
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。 - O. [8 h3 V# L, f4 T5 C7 D
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。 2 v* ^" ~( \" _
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。
& r% H, j+ x5 } W% i; \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。 + I. W# q8 {3 R$ N! 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。3 h$ f0 ~9 P; p* n
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
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( @# f% k: U# n# D1 o/ c+ k' T9 \Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
: f7 B- k& I' A* ]) h2 a+ tResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 0 j" r9 S4 x' C- i2 J/ d: v2 ]
3 n2 c: A3 |9 G0 L1 g* j6 ^This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. 0 M3 G8 s, _1 p
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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* i( i9 y1 @; I) X+ `: KThis, 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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0 D' v0 s$ q6 ~& d3 S i' i/ HBrain 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. ' R, @+ C6 k: X' J# X" a0 i
5 X0 v# [# N+ y7 g" k+ J3 @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.
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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- \% ^5 {8 N- n% T- WHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
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5 s9 X2 {/ U; D+ q( h @3 c"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. ) c2 j5 n9 v2 Y- H* W: h
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"It overturned some long-held theories."
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]2 L! O1 r$ E3 ?6 X5 m. \6 QMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. $ U2 q1 c5 X; Q, o0 J$ x9 I
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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. + W* S9 e' @+ h1 Q4 u0 U0 ]3 v
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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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4 b7 M, v4 ]) `' y% Z$ e" ^7 HThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. 0 Q# _/ V$ B# D; E
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"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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: K1 `9 \" _/ e! U' m"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. 6 B2 ~/ K M" |
+ }4 }. ]& o4 s! H8 n"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." % M9 x! p/ s+ }$ [
4 c3 V4 p8 D: }) v2 R; X+ D' FLearning languages " u8 Z5 ~& O6 E E) n0 M3 u
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. q8 |/ | f/ v
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It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. 7 A1 V8 P3 u+ u6 z
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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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5 W+ {4 e. c# E& R+ w3 s; G/ c"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. ! k3 n5 a' A# V
6 [/ j( n% Y y"This is something we can improve on." & i. u: e( _1 H9 ~. @% o
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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. + z6 ` u7 I+ a1 Y
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"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. . ~* S5 v+ L' j- P
/ X6 [% g% F+ z7 T"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. 6 u% f. x9 h( v' H
: W+ ~5 }2 {' V: G, @# j"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." 4 d9 \" ]4 l6 l
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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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6 O0 M$ n/ W* l! `0 k% P+ ?Story from BBC NEWS:; ?+ Y A3 n* j
g9 |5 E8 }# M l[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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