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9 a1 m% _: E" \2 j- r说汉语者使用大脑更多部分6 I3 P1 Q0 E7 e' c9 H; o5 |2 S
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* w% J W" d, H说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 6 T- d. ]7 t0 f6 h9 n! |- _
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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。
! [! N$ G: Y3 p$ |5 {0 R, b" m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。
9 x, z& f) y: W6 `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。 ' }6 K% C. N. L0 P% _ I* E$ m
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。
! L0 {- H3 C# L! }0 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。 . m) q2 j; v2 H, x( N* p% ?% R' P; s8 x
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 }: |; c0 n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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: C1 h7 y9 @9 z! o' yChinese 'takes more brainpower' & Z+ t, T( `7 I }6 o5 J! W
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. U F" {+ ?% G" G' @
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 0 m7 U4 X& [) e4 Q
3 G( F- X Q* @2 c9 x( s) ?5 MThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
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- i4 N1 m8 r! h8 P1 TThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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6 u! W$ P2 Q- z% N' V$ SThis, 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. 3 O6 S) d% s- [" t2 M6 p
% `) r+ Q j( {9 F `% @5 B. E. mBrain 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. Q ?- r' i8 |7 ^! D+ [% a$ y
) q8 e9 g: t: B. OThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. : ~/ b4 `1 e, r1 C; r1 u3 e$ f' t
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% B m# x8 L8 ], T VThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
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" P8 R) ~, j2 d7 q' A* ^4 cThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. ! b6 n4 A' @0 ]1 T8 e. u
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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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) M6 r( Z6 E0 U# P"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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+ A' K7 b# J; q" O) p9 B; W. eMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. * q0 o( p6 d( ]# D- v! ` G& x
Q: o3 @7 T% x+ f. d6 e3 uFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. - z+ R; t" S! Z4 }8 [; t& O8 X
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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. # C+ u- A p7 K0 u2 K$ P2 o9 z
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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- V+ U6 l$ D0 |"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.
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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." , R2 s' E% B4 K
* `% E& B2 R7 ~Learning languages ( G- ?& |, Y* ]# D: ]
: H. f3 P& w1 u1 G5 E% {Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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& @2 u5 @! {2 k) n& L& wIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
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' H$ ~" |( O' bShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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7 C0 S1 g# r( Z"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said.
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2 P# l' K) K0 e" S# _: m9 ^4 v1 ^% n"This is something we can improve on." ' R D; `' u0 R1 d( R4 l W
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Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 2 U- z( V& N/ H# p. C
" `% B, o" l/ ?' T$ S, E- t" A3 F"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
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& j7 s, B$ y% Y" Y"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
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4 {4 D7 Z# N3 i; {) C$ P( S9 x: j"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. . a; [$ ~9 R6 M
/ I7 N, z' B% ^% s: J"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." ' m. u) C, K- Q
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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. $ k& {5 X+ j2 B: y0 h2 Q
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Story from BBC NEWS:" |+ i7 { w% \) v: L
, m6 o0 ~% e+ m, K1 R[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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