 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT
2 H6 b# d) Z5 y4 F. ?) i说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
' R3 `( ]. p* f; d# L1 A
; G; [& L! T0 l" u- p2 P7 p, Y5 F
% x$ b' N7 L; p) F+ G! o说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
4 [5 H5 c. F" N. Z1 V; a7 s& F" M* E( |6 p# W6 x
( \9 } d5 j. {. N2 r5 [* i
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 c4 O# a2 |7 b) h* |9 a
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。 X+ _. s0 @* I; ?, q1 ^" h6 J1 s
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。 + @' q+ ^3 K- O- i3 L* z
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。 * P% w( U" h2 I( J5 V8 I' ~
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。
8 } y9 C0 L) h% n( c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 q( u. O% S) G/ ?: s z8 w5 o8 [, 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。# m$ Q' K2 F1 o
6 h6 }# j, ~( L0 U3 f. r% X6 I- {& _
0 [: [" \% \) S5 x8 \Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
1 ^- o }( m, P, W& \: m
3 D" I( Y$ x( o" Q$ j% r8 X; I- oSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
9 l: [; k( h B& N' @Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. ! M9 h% P2 Y) B/ ]) m
$ H- }2 c7 M4 f6 \0 _# yThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. ; O7 f1 y% j I0 O4 b
4 F* n+ T+ w& }The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. - G- g0 d1 v3 h8 B, i8 ~# A% X
! \; ?" n: i* g
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.
, Z# b- v4 X) c$ c
$ D7 x$ ~1 H8 x9 j6 PBrain scans $ q Y2 u$ Y5 _( s! t
' i m/ U, V" M3 v( g$ r1 m& JDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers.
- }, I- y% o l9 X( H% I: V! p5 x% ?. z; c
They found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
- w6 D4 S, x6 m m# F) [1 q/ k0 {, I: J3 }6 \# i( U
: K B4 S8 f6 A! aThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. 0 Q8 R& C7 S9 E$ f8 ^. `3 M
# U& \$ _9 Y4 X9 b1 Y9 G+ l; mThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. 3 Y' i" i' e+ h1 n+ K
5 \/ S+ m+ o6 vHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. / F: d1 k& L- T$ Z" c
8 W9 w3 q7 {" r$ E, @' y
"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. ! F3 F6 ]* }, v! r7 V3 g
: Y# C; z9 |! ?
"It overturned some long-held theories."
( x! {( s, [7 \3 N" x1 i$ W8 l k P$ _* F! G
Mandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. Y6 ], t# D" d7 X, W4 ~
0 M, q6 @0 G3 A- z8 U& N4 e( e
For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
7 ~6 I: J) t. u9 v( C7 ~5 [; [7 b
The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
8 T' h; @5 x! ^% T1 l# W
3 @6 I& A9 k1 [4 E. R; rThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
5 f0 Q. f4 k- P6 U9 K( o0 ^( z0 P7 E7 h
"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.
; s) R) Y6 a5 Y
5 z* X, ]/ Y9 h+ X. @- F# m; S"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. . \" O& e4 @0 }3 u) L
8 z& }; l8 b6 w0 T6 t! A
"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." $ e( b' q; x/ F
& _% q+ n9 a8 a0 v) q* w3 M) K
Learning languages
: @3 t& Z/ t3 e W1 z0 d5 v+ s
0 p3 Z5 W/ L8 t k/ g& V0 oDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. / o2 B- h: V$ ]" t; W. c: I
1 Q" K: {* f# s& S w
It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
$ x) a* i: }) |- F( h
; _/ ` c9 Y/ ]1 vShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
3 H; e' S( i; b
% }2 z5 J$ m2 G$ E"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. ) K' `0 Y4 U( w( a8 H3 w8 n) V/ x( @
- o' Z( u0 }& d) R1 G. @9 a"This is something we can improve on."
; U4 |) r! Y; S; C- a. E6 J
4 `" L; U0 W9 D/ u3 {; nDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. - }1 R9 @$ ?! I9 X
0 g5 l( q1 q3 l& }: x"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. 8 s3 j: B7 Y$ v8 ]$ N
) c( }- i3 b5 X! E
"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
; T: K# C: E4 ]. `2 c2 M. O6 p% y4 t; O& d: U( y8 O- i
"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
+ p. J4 g3 y. l, o* z; S, ?
! x* D5 U/ n. d"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
/ v8 i; m! ?' _5 x6 m- G% v1 L3 U" t8 f: }2 O
The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July.
9 M9 N1 \& t: Z" ]8 M, x$ h- Z5 P1 P. R
Story from BBC NEWS:
5 ~$ r. K# E, J5 F9 g
- x3 j* d, X0 Q# R[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|