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6 ]& O; K" [$ U+ G" ?6 b: U( c# W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
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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。 ' _+ G! L: T& U( l- Z3 I1 O/ [" l K2 `
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。
# G* }! Y$ U/ h2 Q9 r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。 $ v$ _- I5 Y9 A5 C5 u
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。 + M) l0 b! w, b2 Y- H5 T
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。 $ B& O- h- D* }9 z( I
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. L$ u) ~- Z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。1 C4 Q) i1 N8 H% p! E2 S
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3 z/ S$ f% \" hChinese 'takes more brainpower'
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
) g/ A) u$ Z( ?6 `$ W; tResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 6 }- f5 `( c9 z9 ]' c$ ?: u
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This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. # `# L) F7 y, G# K
0 k( }% Z# @6 D/ y2 g( }0 ^5 ?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. + p7 M) u# }7 S* K+ [ _" s3 } s+ K
6 S% B! e- w( cBrain scans
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% Z" ]' X; [0 @! x8 v2 S0 o2 nDr 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. : x9 }: y) T* x% @+ u) b
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$ `; G6 K8 p! C1 SThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. 2 n. F9 x4 ~+ S$ K! X0 j
' U) B6 ^9 K. W! ^% g' xThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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, ` z: [8 i" c/ RHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
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* t0 u: G1 Q" _% \) X' b) t% k"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. [* _ k7 J" c/ l) O5 d
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"It overturned some long-held theories." % D/ o% c3 F% `( d4 c
5 [( V8 l. H/ uMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. * w4 z7 A& E8 A% S
, o- }" A! y$ J# m$ L6 a0 QFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
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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.
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! J% k7 h' |/ `2 \- aThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. - d* V0 |: H+ }- c( u) x4 X N
6 k8 \' o7 [& ~8 P8 ]& U"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. ) _2 z4 p. a+ f1 h1 L
3 k! A3 J1 B4 W. Q5 V, \2 }"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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5 H- T O9 M$ b8 y3 B! B"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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: n( x' B, u. q/ u1 a' SLearning languages . g o7 E, F! y* P3 a% g
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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0 m! `9 f, j$ B& z* P5 ^It 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. 3 V3 N2 j7 s. Y2 N$ r" T# M
9 c$ U( s. n* @2 R3 W; H"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."
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# I! K9 f: i2 xDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
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- o8 n( [4 m; ]- C"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. * L1 D% h1 O# n
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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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& y% z/ H: B6 m5 m! G, P! ?) |"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. ( a6 r5 f+ O; C8 K. T
2 R6 C) ?' ]( V9 }"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." ( j* x; U$ J& @2 M; q, T0 _$ A
' a/ G, m7 H# K3 tThe 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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Story from BBC NEWS:$ Z# P2 z0 u1 N# u" f
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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