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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分3 ?' M; e, w( p+ I. D9 l2 b# D
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$ G5 [. P, p# x说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 4 t8 Y+ _) J8 _; Q, i7 v* [. T" U
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4 C: O" t( {7 o% M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。 2 F$ b* X( h7 p+ r! }5 n
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。
1 f5 ~! q9 N4 V" z: q: 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。 8 {; z8 i) I) I7 }9 R) e
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。 9 u3 r0 S% m) m2 u0 L
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。
( l$ h" E6 W( A; }! u5 g% f: V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。
F% z+ u- c& j0 {5 {* @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'
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K: d5 L4 h& Z' F, z2 w+ A2 USpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
. R# K5 T4 p; W6 x) j( ]5 mResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
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. }5 j) Q$ j" A( c0 x. a1 W' _This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. " `! D7 \9 [3 n& D2 f* X
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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. ( h. J( J( V) ^$ f' L# z; ]- B
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Brain scans
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$ _2 g+ c* z' X) N( ~ x2 xDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. 8 ^5 u% j9 {! E2 v; t7 Y
+ O6 `# b% R8 eThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
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! t- p: w" j7 H1 D5 v4 Z' yThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
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- W6 M. g' O+ N' S2 U6 y" o6 EThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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2 N! B6 O8 a/ C, d0 @8 wHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. ! Y+ Q6 a3 o: N1 w- y x
q0 R: ~# ?- `! _"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
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9 B { D I l, a b) s6 l2 J"It overturned some long-held theories." . W% P# h( `& Q+ [' r
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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. % g0 N, g& }, p* s" [7 Q
# |7 F6 I6 {' XThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. ! c5 y8 s( B# r: n# j
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. ( ~7 _1 C+ Y% c. x9 i! W
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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. 5 K, }$ K6 q: S y1 l
: z5 M* T' E1 y- K# \"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. 9 D* e: [& r: m) B% i
/ z7 x- M5 U+ u"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." ) W% L6 p' t# C: J
/ m& W2 Z& E3 {Learning languages
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. 8 | f% \ m4 x9 y; y+ u
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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. ) w; i. `" Y6 a U+ o. a
: X% D ~! B5 @) ~" F5 N"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. % i) P, }6 u/ I" s! l
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"This is something we can improve on."
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1 j9 o5 C& V( h& SDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
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: ?5 ^' q' M0 W% W1 H"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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- o6 _- N( D9 V% Y+ M"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. ; o C3 s; P9 M4 `
2 ?: t+ O6 ~. n' d! O/ }# N; Z5 |3 V"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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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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3 t' L* [% E' v! Q6 v% v D& VStory from BBC NEWS:" y( t' E( l) {, n# n$ J
! q2 ^; @$ R/ r' u$ a[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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