 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT$ h" K/ X/ X- s, t
说汉语者使用大脑更多部分2 i: h: P3 N0 B: s
! L$ m* d+ \% A) x
0 ]. e% ?9 I% P/ e) Y说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 9 B- u) f' B% }- b: d% f
% H! v& o6 N( E# c% f! p9 l2 |
9 e$ b, M1 d* Y) l
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。 0 ]% W, Y2 d& A8 L
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。
; c; y, l, Z0 Q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。 ' K9 j. W: x+ _2 m5 T* S: ]5 i
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。
" [$ b9 q6 }" J% U0 y' m' X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。 - s7 q* ]$ s. \1 G4 [* {
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。 ! S _+ P- x% G* a
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。! b Y( K9 v. U4 Q
1 F8 h* l5 ~8 ]: j$ L
/ [5 f5 \" E" G5 w: ]Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
3 Z) M0 R8 v3 P/ M7 h- _( m4 [' Y4 H/ {. a" C0 ^7 o' `
Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
$ S) ]2 m& Y0 A6 f2 T) U) EResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 7 E: \( \8 q4 I' ^
! X$ |9 {7 T( v/ ?4 KThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
/ O+ C& O. P) G( l1 W
. ~8 l1 F5 f2 u0 h* U+ k3 qThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
7 u0 |- s- t3 A0 Z, l! E5 n M4 R' y! C1 t( q$ o8 F9 c6 R
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. 5 n5 l; P, O( ~+ s% p; `% A
. F O) K; k) p$ {
Brain scans 9 b: h1 j; q" [# [% A: q* L7 A
: L! n1 q7 U; m: ]) LDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. 0 W5 y; {* F- d
5 E( _+ Z7 U; U5 r$ u' z6 JThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
i" S- b# ^* D0 S5 h" d" I& R |# n6 s }
) m( H# w) ~3 b- ~
The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
! d( ^( H% N& R+ o1 f/ r' H6 n' t' ^
They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
9 N, x; A A! |" r
# J& q4 K- W' aHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
# z* C! P: d+ _& s/ z( a. o7 Q' F2 j; Q0 }" L/ @1 P/ Z
"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
8 e) C6 _+ }4 a2 L3 K# C4 E' A, {
% ^+ W8 V$ L' J1 U$ s+ B"It overturned some long-held theories."
' `; i$ G& s: E X7 Y
8 U2 [' h% {0 k. ?2 V0 F$ p) U# {1 cMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. % F; I' a) R% C
; v2 J$ t! E6 s) E! _- R! k1 P. N
For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. ; u/ J8 r3 ^! ~2 m- j" a+ W
, ?5 Q* N8 D8 T6 b8 ]) m
The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. + o' ~) a( Z: L+ o$ x
1 O/ r0 a/ v5 B2 e* W5 `/ p4 p# Z
The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
$ d# x" L! L: V5 y
0 N% ?. q4 {, L5 E"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.
" [$ O9 K0 [# O, q7 o
3 n$ P, j# I/ Q7 w1 y"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech.
% g! C- c# |, e
4 {9 q5 D* b5 z2 E. h"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
. K$ Y9 f8 d" n+ Y1 x5 ?! V; \# T8 Z8 ~
Learning languages
4 E) L1 g) I8 Z; |9 v0 t3 U/ c' ]% w8 f; J5 Y& \ k
Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
' K( p: v8 _( R+ r1 N W) `& @2 `. f
. D: Z& |/ G) y9 o( FIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
5 d& ~3 m% W5 ` z& D. x
: B: b; T- ?8 S S; u" lShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
0 B0 m' e0 J2 `. }0 B% |
3 I# c Q) W; O2 ^"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said.
( | G+ x2 k1 `) [. ^2 q
" q: H+ C2 p' A- s# V9 B1 A \% w"This is something we can improve on."
) X% P. D6 O9 z: Q4 P6 V T
; {" `, J7 J2 n- N: o9 b8 A& a7 BDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 5 U4 J" m# S! f/ f. k6 g8 e
) f8 t' t) l+ _1 a"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
- A8 O' B$ z$ Q( q k
5 A# q9 a' C q4 u2 |( O. m. A ?& R) E"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
& K" m& A" a- A
/ Y, C* P4 S1 L5 y! h"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. . r. d3 I' ~! Q& z& G
' I' [/ s k; Q c3 _
"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
" C- y" q8 `2 b/ @5 t% D
2 q/ ^ Y9 C/ [5 Z3 r9 N# S! F/ V) CThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. 4 Z! q# u- g5 y' r3 i( q
9 M5 n9 z6 ~2 Z" R8 ~Story from BBC NEWS:# B3 i' _: h, a8 X9 ~9 ^
* N) t. E6 f& j; S8 h5 {0 D& G: q( y
[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|