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! ]0 M! r3 u2 c, A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 l0 S4 f; e3 s' M+ D1 |
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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。
# a3 B* J0 x) l5 f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。 - x# \7 {1 Y9 ^+ p) @
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。 ; \ e9 i z- 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。 0 ?3 h0 F+ O& G _
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。 7 p/ v. v' f- C8 }3 y
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。 5 m# L3 g) q2 U- E
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。* z4 A$ S2 q0 N! ?4 ^6 T, b
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower' 0 H- f) q7 g3 {. A* i
9 v3 u+ d$ n2 x' z/ eSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
% C3 o I+ M6 y F, ~7 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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* \1 O, B! l* d% ~& n- h9 C% ]This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. 6 _' P( j' }9 O) p
0 _* P+ H' T& cThe 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. - V e( p5 H& M: y9 f' W% k
6 U) Q& S0 A S) O( u6 M( oBrain 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. 1 I" b. v$ V U1 V6 G' W+ R. P
7 h# J' Z/ V$ ~& u& j8 @( p* i/ iThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
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' m; J" a0 h/ T' A3 KThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. . n Y# H8 d w& \" {
9 g4 d! }# M- j. \7 Z- n, D* y1 GThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. 0 Q* l* ^) ]. B
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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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"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. & X' e' r# N \5 b8 ]! q' h) N
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"It overturned some long-held theories."
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8 c- ?8 X; _! {) RMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. * v* v7 |! K6 S8 z8 q- f7 m
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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 9 v8 J, y# V5 a; P
L8 ? T" s; c6 A2 p) zThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
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" r/ G# {& S7 K2 ~: `The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. % y! C) \0 `/ \5 C% c; {7 L, E& 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. ) r% N1 Q0 }- i% s) K; w- B7 u
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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. b! F) R" h G' |" O+ `: C
" h% D5 y. M4 F( p9 {6 W"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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7 P' |$ ~! C7 P/ v/ sLearning languages & o- c7 x4 O r' O3 O/ A# ]6 L. _9 U) a
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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. Z7 a# v9 }% O0 ~" X2 fIt 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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& k" a3 o: ` V: \; G: Z! T4 O"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." 0 B7 ~5 }) L) y, X+ Z" }; s, _
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Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. ( `' ?; t7 a6 H) c* d: [; S* [
: D* q) ^* M+ X0 o% l"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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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. 6 L9 H! t- k( q1 I
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"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." # b L! R. M- b9 b- m+ u+ [; f
& B! x" }1 p" j2 F$ _! PThe 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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1 N9 a) |: O( J( o: B/ B# S) lStory from BBC NEWS:# v* V. `7 z3 S' x/ s/ P
: k( g/ H* D2 \3 R[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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