 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT
1 s5 a: F+ f$ p7 G7 D& D# y说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
" ^! p1 F8 \$ K5 }- i
" x1 n8 O8 m7 R
' t, n0 U6 _9 q7 t( {% \7 E! k6 L1 x% q说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 # w: `, p/ ^+ O" v
1 [% S: Y8 U+ X1 x1 T# i' U7 {4 g& J e$ [
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。 0 x; d* ~) C7 H5 H
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。
, I4 @! T, N1 C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。 " }' V5 v8 W8 n" {! r' q7 `
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。
) u! U+ g3 z) t9 m) 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。 ; n# X9 G" }7 `8 B
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。
+ H# Y1 W- i* U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。* a8 o4 f8 g9 W( W6 t* a/ g" F- b
% s% W# b# d' M
' T' J, U. Q" i% O; V, N' tChinese 'takes more brainpower'
c( w! E7 }* C0 u( K I/ q
& ^/ O4 F& F/ _; s0 gSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
* _( h- U$ z% p8 X- j* _' gResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 0 a: U$ f( @5 {! J0 V# |6 d
: r4 G0 X2 ?% @( r2 m* U
This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
0 E7 Z9 w# _$ Q' N. ]
/ l/ F- t5 P& I3 QThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
/ o' T- e) X8 m6 U; s6 ] g; Q9 Q( c3 m) W* D
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. 3 k% X" x. V7 h% u& {# X& h. s
( z2 z4 l% y* u" [Brain scans " |; I+ {. b" {& @
. D- p5 F/ `$ q$ V# U, E) r4 X
Dr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers.
4 X# P1 N( {8 J" ]/ S0 d8 N9 y- _; {) M: H# w& v
They found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. % K/ T/ P' x& ~3 f- ]
; E; \$ J4 X! ~% J
9 e* e r5 W( H7 BThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. ; ~- |' }6 V; ]- A% ?/ T" W! c$ }
# I0 \+ p0 I- b0 m% M) [, m W0 BThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. 7 A2 m* A$ D3 ?5 z5 o9 v
7 A7 d6 }( k; C5 U9 N8 z
However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
/ p+ T* U: ~6 S+ F
; w4 e% {& y) o"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. % b5 ?2 e) J6 l
/ `, i6 Y, @8 F3 |" {6 b9 x
"It overturned some long-held theories." 8 B/ I+ h2 t! h; A) h* V! p
3 t9 }- p' ]5 y: p! sMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words.
4 `, G1 L3 x% ]& {; u& J% D8 ^- G) K: ]" T$ @
For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
; E2 N8 \2 m& O- e; B, }+ |3 U8 h4 I
) @* ]' K- O% {The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
% Y& S) S4 C2 u% q# c6 B: o! r9 B% J; l
The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. 0 U0 {8 S4 @$ a' d
5 h6 N" @6 Q8 Z( J
"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. 7 P5 M' `- o5 H4 v V
5 A3 b8 ?0 _8 D/ {7 {
"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech.
- T; r* @ r% x$ S# S
2 I* T% l) s, f7 f1 Z"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." 0 w Z. k* O( G
. J9 n8 N0 [" U0 N$ j, RLearning languages . l1 e* h5 x M) c, M O) @
1 c! [" K+ n, M
Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
( B: L8 \4 v5 l3 n! t+ _* F8 M7 d. m1 z
It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
' @/ R" T. d6 V! u" e% N& M. u- v" E' i/ M0 F
She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
6 N+ o4 n* o, T8 e4 y" e$ t1 I* V7 ~7 c
"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said.
* o) C: r/ Y0 a1 ?1 P5 V- z; s: u* K
"This is something we can improve on."
$ I9 ?2 d4 i* ]+ X6 U+ b$ |5 @/ O }) ~9 o
Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
4 j8 G8 e6 {/ @5 u+ |
4 C6 I" k7 f `' D+ ?9 ~1 @6 a0 \. G9 a"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
% u# Y* M, U0 b; }5 S! I! |6 S8 G, |
"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. ( ]: O# k4 U, \6 u
: d- C3 J5 n3 z" j! \
"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
, v( F0 g3 f$ F. f
' t, L0 x3 J/ X3 k"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." 2 ]9 s, _/ R2 S n
`. U- k# l2 I/ R7 @0 mThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. # F0 I* a, p6 j4 _6 A0 I2 J8 Z
$ S5 V$ j: N! z' O# H# q( cStory from BBC NEWS:1 E! ~8 J: b, F) X$ I
: }7 S1 N9 N' Q* R* v
[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|