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' R! d" h4 H1 U# ~说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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; U+ |: Y" U% [4 I4 U, I说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 4 C. B; t H' G( g. A% [
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# S& |% p, `: f4 B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。
9 `5 z# Q: e1 `/ @$ V6 S( \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。 8 @5 M o% t- j# n* m% S( o2 D) I
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。 & s7 |+ @7 ~- S6 J9 m/ P
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。
, |. g( v9 H) |6 ]+ ?3 b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。
5 t, t1 h5 e0 _7 J+ A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 F. a, E8 m5 r# u/ P
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。. M: \4 x6 Q6 Q w6 s
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower' 5 T7 ~- x3 m- Y: ~$ N
& M9 w* f( `9 K* m! D0 o0 o' g4 U, b( rSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. 5 N: v' s8 W p% [/ m* q+ F
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
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This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. # i+ g4 J. I5 `8 x& [% t! q
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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. c5 X) V. d, l. L7 MThis, 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.
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7 x. r C1 ^7 w& A" v. nBrain 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. ! ?5 D( B _. G6 |
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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. ) \5 I) S/ [* N# h% C1 I) X
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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. 8 S x: a9 t3 W; }: b' q6 t
+ u" n: S/ p9 k4 cThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. / t4 |: p, L8 E- `- J
F$ a! i0 U4 J, c7 @. a4 G$ qHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. $ T0 D2 j1 M# l) D4 N/ p
7 x3 M* J% z& i2 V2 J& A"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. ! d5 v9 d3 I5 W& L- D
% a e; }* o) ?" L% C) U"It overturned some long-held theories."
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{. I9 I+ o9 L$ U' r9 A' ]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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The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. - T2 N( D' ^% Y$ U
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. & m- {8 N/ R% o d% p' T6 _* Y/ Q
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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. % P1 K! r# |, u: r+ l! e! |! `
( G( N$ N+ m3 t2 J"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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, j9 ]% g7 l. L0 n. ^* N$ b j1 d"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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Learning languages
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' T' i8 G p/ H) aDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. 5 p1 f# U" I% R. m& I
/ @$ H' e4 i; d/ x! ^5 u9 m+ A( G. W$ _It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. 0 v7 l$ u2 F. v. T4 i
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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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"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. + V. O I, h0 f( p5 u
* W( K7 k) E3 K: w7 a"This is something we can improve on."
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9 Q( q* T, {% H/ g# SDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 2 R. d: n; F. Y) G; D0 ?* u
6 K- R5 C% t9 c& i! C( R4 i- k"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. 6 P' c; c4 T: {3 ?- Y, t1 V) ~) {
8 j2 ]) D5 b# a9 o"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
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0 B/ j! D; }& z6 G7 D( I: c( A9 w5 b"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." ) |. p4 o4 v' V% Q
5 ]6 x Y' [( y8 s6 ^' ?The 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:' h$ v( ]: w4 |% h, C+ x
6 T2 B: A7 X/ a* ?6 r0 f* t[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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