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/ ]. z- P A( l# z0 ^ e/ }. q说汉语者使用大脑更多部分/ q, i/ o' a Z- _/ o$ N/ D! w
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4 L- v; d& K) ]6 |说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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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。 ! M4 R( g ?3 T' b8 a% Q
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。
" f1 R: d" A2 Z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。 ) ^7 |3 n' P2 d1 [- Q3 T
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。 / K+ C1 l) c) ]& \. M; v
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。 & a5 |& I9 ~! {
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。 @2 u5 l6 E0 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。, j9 k: G, n, x$ s/ O) n- R
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
, I8 G( C3 h" u( w# YResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
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# N( N1 E2 f2 M: s+ ^0 t5 nThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
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6 c+ N+ i, @4 P/ s* KThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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0 p# N( C ^7 D& iThis, 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. ; u5 q" b' K5 K9 }. e/ e: o
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Brain 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. - t7 a5 y- v, p
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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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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. 3 m* N4 n* y9 `* X5 O
. f& C. W5 e! d! ~( fThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. + l/ O) ]4 P" a* r
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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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; _ m; z+ {: M: s"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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; T) I! ~6 a+ DMandarin 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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_2 B# J- \5 h7 z# e! a; Y B- lFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. & i4 `* b* M, J7 e
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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. & O9 ~/ ]0 }. |. f: x2 M
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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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. 5 w3 e/ ?$ `: w% `
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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."
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0 F& i8 Z% E* k0 F: m+ F) Q5 Q2 i- r! NLearning languages
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. + K- x4 z. n0 p; R
! i" v4 z0 }6 E) ^+ u0 I2 _$ TIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
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' P' c" A1 |9 M0 X( d. LShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. 3 p& a& g8 k2 {5 Z' A
3 |0 y* d2 M- l/ q+ h: Y% C3 A"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. & B+ B0 @, S( Z& U4 _% O
( z& G: g% s) z; f"This is something we can improve on." * ~3 N; @1 ]2 X7 G$ P
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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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1 n2 Z7 N8 e- }7 N1 [9 ^8 Z"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
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8 l8 M6 B3 U% R# j% e+ u- b"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
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) K6 w7 T7 X8 D* d"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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$ r# Y( b) P- f0 ?"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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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. 4 U9 C, w$ S- f0 v4 U$ {/ G
8 P" h p- I. q3 `9 n/ lStory from BBC NEWS: i% r# F) s% t% `- _: ]; N
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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