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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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8 c5 t+ F( T' _5 n1 C说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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* H. f' _6 \( [ w6 v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。 ' }* C# J: W. T6 B
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 s6 D; O- C) `7 N! v6 `- N
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。
T+ b3 ~" d3 s- r- \ l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。
/ V! s3 B9 I4 g9 V+ X6 m9 s- y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。 , w; m: @) @- r0 \: ?3 h$ q) s
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。
) E6 b- f. z7 v, [. ` ]7 o5 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。
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower' 7 a t* B+ s6 f1 m% q5 U+ L0 P( I
$ \" M g' n# |0 S! O3 N3 pSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
) t5 V7 I) Y" t' I: u) w/ \! B7 YResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. % w* @6 A( J k
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This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. 2 q, L3 T' g1 a2 v1 S D$ g3 d
$ |+ {# {6 d; j. F" z1 WThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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$ I8 c; z. T: F6 G; F# ZThis, 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. / H# c2 o5 N N5 ^6 h
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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.
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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. : J3 s0 u3 k4 t0 U
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) o/ a0 b. b, e5 ?7 lThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. ' w- n N/ }" l8 u5 b2 ?; i; H! q
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"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. 1 ^( ?5 l- b$ G& K1 S
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"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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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
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0 d' X& E! t: C( f# ~The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. ( n3 H" ~+ w. r- L( w: w
g% O$ t2 f$ Q; SThe 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. , Y* U3 {& |6 Q: y0 E
0 k6 m2 z* L. M3 F8 x! y"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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# i& b- H* n9 `! H4 n"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." , v- }) m# L) C$ b1 `2 E
$ i2 E3 r0 U5 c2 B$ k& xLearning languages
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. : K6 m$ f7 {5 l" s9 }2 [
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It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
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. s! e+ f0 e2 M( s7 D# L' kShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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; j$ g* N+ N. k( o3 N2 t"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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% i' O' W- c+ O# O8 u! }+ ]2 H"This is something we can improve on." 9 F6 r1 D# `, t; X7 x& ]/ e
) r2 u) S! q0 r9 S( |Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
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% R0 n$ N' p: b9 L& n1 v$ F0 L"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. % |& [, D8 w9 ^6 l9 s1 O
/ Q! z8 d3 o0 s. X3 R9 }"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. + Q- O3 H. k" m! d
" r: v/ ]9 T1 R) K"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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% V% [8 {# F2 c9 OThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. 5 G, m! d2 c" Z$ {, F
+ k+ L S) M8 I" l' Q( l: ?Story from BBC NEWS:
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9 G+ g2 q+ `, e) H9 g* m[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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