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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 / i m/ J$ z' j; ?' ?1 |. _ r# F6 S
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9 H; j* I3 i, X, o$ u& k5 `2 `: x8 G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。
# b8 {: B# c$ w) J( I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。 4 R6 ?9 @, m- J
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。
9 }' O5 x2 d( Q! i. k. r( K# [" [. g; ~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。 1 c9 n, B2 h6 R- k- [' I9 r
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。
% s: a+ ^4 g' S( L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。
7 A# I; ~4 N' M4 s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。; z9 A& L+ Y$ V2 B( l
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. 7 S y' ?4 D- L1 }- l( P: E
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. o" p: _2 |0 l; L& B; Z" O
! o; P+ ]* b! [9 f$ u0 t) Q7 E) KThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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" a Z; f! E eThis, 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. * i8 P* V K( W$ W$ s% n
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Brain scans
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) I7 }/ K! {; l# P/ Z, U. P( _ EDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers.
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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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# G7 D5 a7 Q' G$ y/ z8 g' OThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
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# l( [( m1 p* X. r! q; h7 `$ Q2 x lThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. 4 D: w9 A! b0 K" h8 u& C
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However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. + Y K( X# V- H" k, H3 P
3 ^, N& D# z4 s' d7 T"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
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' U" y9 {) D1 t9 g3 W: A& M"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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+ C7 s; r" _5 F0 MFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
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+ e/ A6 K2 ?; P$ g4 oThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. 8 T3 A4 @7 s% P0 R' _
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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1 m4 Z; d/ N/ x& t- [( F% ~"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. ) J! `* H8 v( ^) N9 v- Q; b
2 z0 y% x" G+ R8 G"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. 4 @" T7 e+ j0 y) k$ c
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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." 4 Q3 I/ Q) u/ X3 z
/ g/ {5 D3 j8 G+ s$ NLearning languages ! d* X; ?, `0 n: o1 a$ ^6 @
* A# ~4 T$ g5 ~7 dDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. 9 K/ X* y5 R6 V3 }, j9 H8 y
# B) A5 l# Y) Z1 V5 V. u9 M# |It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
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: C9 }3 I- \% v- a, ZShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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4 B, S# ^: k9 y% C" L% _"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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"This is something we can improve on." + A- ?& t) l; k+ l# T
{) B3 W& k- }! ZDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 2 U. G; [- U+ t! U. F. K, F
M' A6 J6 c8 U, n/ @$ U"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. 7 m1 P) z& h* R# i4 @+ V
: ]4 ^ f1 p9 ?" ]8 l/ M! k"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. . ]+ Z0 h4 n& x9 ]- Q- N
5 `# @: J# D. B7 O5 S% W"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. 3 L* D1 K( s9 i, F* }$ M* U$ n
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"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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2 ^" P3 K* O& U* l9 y& `The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. 3 n, g1 g) `. ~: R9 h
9 V* [7 r) S, d! e) v! ZStory from BBC NEWS:+ n& z8 G; o U, _1 z# P
8 [; I9 Q5 \; O4 }' J1 M[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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