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, V1 c. I5 G) J8 `" ?) Q2 O. O说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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7 ?( F: R1 R) h8 J- t说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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1 Y2 A5 |3 U+ U$ U- n5 Q' 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。
9 z: I" [/ K' H0 h N7 a5 ?/ x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。 ) J0 v; k/ }4 L. V
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。 ; M' h$ Z0 {+ T0 @0 z9 [
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。
g5 C3 F! a) u$ Y' C8 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。 4 Z7 K6 V& d: c/ T+ p6 j
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 x, u6 Z- g# I4 ]7 y: q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' / K+ u/ p R) S! c5 A
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. / v: u1 Q1 `# k1 z- f
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 6 f U9 ^1 l) _& R, J0 k2 Z, e
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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.
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' }3 n1 s# _* PThis, 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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3 y% P& k3 M" E) {3 RBrain scans 7 t1 b6 V( n# o+ h6 R7 s9 W+ ~) H
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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. 8 o, Y; E, B. T& m; {- D5 M8 |
6 }5 D3 A5 O5 h$ G0 RThey 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.
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* A- G+ D; Q- SThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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9 X: L; K' @/ Y1 X m0 }" R& AHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. % b- {1 U, ]3 p& a7 S7 s/ m7 O: X: J
$ W+ B5 p9 O2 c1 F. J4 W# M"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. 9 q9 w' d; i$ R5 l+ o5 I5 Y; }% T
$ M f% J3 w1 {+ N: l"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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$ R+ y9 T; y6 [0 a5 b9 ]8 E' `The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. + L S$ z) J( v
/ r. X: d% T) Z, E( L$ r/ ^* {The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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9 v! |2 v3 U. r2 ]/ K) p+ ~"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.
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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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e! M/ J: F" q4 n"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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Learning languages $ T1 z3 ^4 a0 P( c! f
" r" e) I4 R/ U. Q" {1 T3 LDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. ; S# W8 P2 y0 m, q
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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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' D% ~) e8 ~. W! w: G7 T7 XShe 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. ' ^; q& e3 N7 b5 Q$ R( v: j% J* t# ~
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"This is something we can improve on."
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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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"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. * a# @7 y( f, M& Z5 p5 i4 w# q, H2 Y. H
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"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. 3 \' h# |4 \/ z7 K- h5 R9 i
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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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6 _& d# [6 z& ^"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." # b) @7 a' I& U+ x+ ~. F, L' @
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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.
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9 P) _& a& Q7 P, y2 v" t* P* n! r8 mStory from BBC NEWS:
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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