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0 r8 ^' b7 R$ |# y, C/ O9 m2 J说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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5 B9 n" }$ ^) D7 E说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 ; ?( E3 D3 B! A, ]" V
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" \! B( B' Z6 a/ \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。 6 s5 p7 H* m' ^( r) ?
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。 & G3 }4 e% B5 N8 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。
: K) L" c4 N. n* }3 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。
$ e$ A2 t# d# S0 X: x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。 9 q4 X. C9 T, |. E
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。
8 z, O3 b% N% n- S" w3 a f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。2 {- }1 k6 S( f( d0 ^. g
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower' $ k- ?) C& {3 [3 R
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. ' P2 j2 B5 i+ |) b1 z
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. 0 T) G# G4 T+ z' b: q! V, ]/ ?' J
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. 5 b& U. }' E6 b! i& G3 a
3 a; r; `9 \, D7 p9 N+ f0 @4 D, AThis, 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. 0 ]8 W9 L( \: h: _6 ]0 |
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Brain scans
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# @ h8 K5 ^! ODr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. / c% w* ]5 e& z3 W% \% p7 |" X$ s
6 ^) J9 k& \4 bThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
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U1 l% }- M# s3 J7 x; |+ fThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. + ]- v7 ^; U6 R/ i2 c8 R0 x
1 J" I6 N; L/ CThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. " i8 D Z+ K; {: n
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However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. + I, X/ w+ l& f7 X* q9 q
3 X( I! w3 `& h8 \$ _"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
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2 g7 R0 k/ X+ _, V! W, ["It overturned some long-held theories." 4 W+ y" l" C& b4 c# d
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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. : }+ s4 k1 P5 q* G, k
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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 3 @5 v$ v. B3 t/ n6 s" \6 U& {
5 o- n& r( R" }" X! v+ `The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. , i1 Y6 d+ N! C* x4 r8 x- q, y
: X- m0 C5 ?* ~# Q+ FThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. : |5 s6 K0 |# {
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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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+ s Z# Z. X* @$ R"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. 5 N% R1 D* b* j/ k) G
7 Y7 d# N/ E K/ N1 h7 @"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." : z5 W6 L, M3 c2 ^4 i
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Learning languages ! ~) {/ }, T. ~7 g0 q( B- k
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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- b8 o% B& P( a. d+ z, |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.
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4 Z2 b/ j6 H) f# e' O ~% x"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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# E. ~* c! @% p/ X" z% E9 b% r"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. & _$ h+ W+ ]4 n; M) y- y6 q9 Q; Z
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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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"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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; U8 t# ~' b+ JThe 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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, X9 L$ x3 E* E7 `8 |+ xStory from BBC NEWS:6 m+ P9 z9 R* N/ E1 i
4 I6 I, x: M1 C/ _! `# x) _6 C[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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