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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分' Z. ^3 w) b G& \/ \
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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。 7 J) V x$ D N6 ^& N/ n/ D. 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。 $ y. e8 a. l9 s* d! H4 L
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。
; z& |5 V7 R; {. n' P! e& s+ H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。 6 O9 N w8 R' `4 m
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。
, v/ c$ r" q0 M0 w- s( ~& ?7 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。 8 E$ ? x& D8 P' w! G9 `
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。2 X P7 b0 e! W* D- ?* | M3 V
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
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. }% G a' K" `Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. 9 h* Y1 u% N6 o1 d
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. 0 D1 ]. Z- d, K1 `3 [
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. : ?) \. ?$ s# E s- B/ `
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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. ; D8 m" P C$ @
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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. ' K5 }* u/ N! W. o/ D
9 m8 I; }5 `- c5 Z# O2 K- XThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. 3 g& f5 I9 W0 s
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9 `, I! j$ W, F8 r0 V: \, r7 yThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. ' Z' q0 i- |( w# M c' [
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. : S8 V; z- g$ j6 g9 O$ l. y1 r$ d
5 l$ O( w$ C: a# V _3 e. zHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
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. m( C1 `& y3 b$ t" `7 F! M9 Y! v"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. # |8 R9 b7 v3 ~
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"It overturned some long-held theories." % n v# ?8 [/ f
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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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# \, o- b# m: OFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 8 U8 W* y' M1 c2 S6 Y8 P
7 d8 f4 E R- N% L$ JThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. 8 F8 g2 g& _( b3 x: N/ K3 Q
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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) H. Z) S% N9 M0 {"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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7 I; J6 _* t) l/ P1 W- z. x9 g$ z8 N"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. 8 j9 C2 b( Y' `% v* m% u- ?
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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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Learning languages
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- y' W/ @5 x# MDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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, s7 w3 \& _* w, rIt 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. + M& x7 L4 f$ ^' E+ H7 N4 h
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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.
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" _! C1 z2 P( G; K8 v) B"This is something we can improve on." 6 U+ c9 n3 y( D) ?3 r
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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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; K5 k) _" w1 T8 _! S+ e"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
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"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. $ _4 L% s; H4 w2 d# p7 x
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"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." 0 N3 t* v$ ~ O
) s# n% w3 |% l4 Z% [/ s! I5 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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% e" C, e3 m. E* o4 m# ?1 LStory from BBC NEWS:" y! ^/ P' L2 S, A6 N
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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