 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT" Z5 S' u: f: H! o3 ^1 a! S% b
说汉语者使用大脑更多部分 ?& K0 B, ~* ~# b
( @$ M. {+ x2 r, d1 W
( z L# p1 S/ V说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
{" S' e5 b: O+ u. I3 i: D6 C2 k$ E$ s/ S. ^0 j, L0 ?
; c* _! L Y- v" x J
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。 / B; k( @6 `/ I, v4 E0 r' M$ F
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。
& b I3 V7 `1 M6 r8 q. G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。 1 }& M3 z; Z. f" F
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。 0 F) f' j O- ^; U
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。
3 B2 h, { S b1 |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。 9 d& G' p8 J( L/ y# U2 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。
" ] e9 B3 ~4 _/ @) s: X8 x$ P6 T; |1 n5 c8 h* I
& M6 z* f& {4 M% p7 R' h( B
Chinese 'takes more brainpower' 3 n; y: l$ L! E4 K* j
/ c' p# |- d3 Z- ^. M3 Q! dSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. % X9 h- F( m% \3 u# H# P6 i1 k0 ~8 Q
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 5 ~+ X& C! G! R2 x2 m# B" y
# O0 A! m4 B. t9 |5 \/ A
This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
6 {2 l& P+ g& D0 S% `3 {
2 Q, O. t: B. V% y& g; }3 K1 vThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
' v; K! s* n' d$ i9 Z! N6 M- K* o& S
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. : ]' m/ H, K& m; ~* i7 r% F
8 f2 H L4 j3 s( f5 ?4 e6 b
Brain scans
. \- \* K# N9 u% p0 E" o. ], S7 [- |) Y3 E+ o1 K% Q
Dr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. ; i& k( C+ n1 u/ ]: I6 R
; o& H3 v8 M( M% V: P
They found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
6 C$ t* B7 i" r9 K! q; e3 Z& k* c) u: x: i# g& T4 g
7 \2 r6 T% e$ ~8 n7 D$ \0 g* Y: sThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. ; ~3 G/ G5 W3 a5 j6 y
5 ]2 B7 ` u% v5 H
They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. 6 k" C& d: y* i9 r! P' D6 y
3 D* o1 k6 {( q+ a
However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
+ j5 \8 D8 W. ]2 D& s
/ O, O P6 a) }( L2 C" O' J"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
7 T9 R- w |1 h% h/ x% |0 r
. j4 U) I) B: V8 d"It overturned some long-held theories." 5 F4 G) |! m9 K5 L' m
! L1 j# C! J7 \# JMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words.
& v( q& V- h9 Z' U/ d, h
3 ?4 F( x% F2 h( KFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
! I- u' |" S8 V0 [9 Y& Y* A) P. J- {: k
The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. 6 P4 L; C- ^+ ?$ o+ n3 C) c
* u+ w% W) F5 V) X/ YThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. # U% E" @$ y, N5 e5 C$ l
) E# O/ S/ y4 L& w2 N
"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. / Z+ j6 Q- d# V) N: A
) N/ S Z: v* E& O) N d) c8 Q; A"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech.
1 i4 g) u& a3 B6 J- d
+ o' N5 N0 l( H. s$ j* }"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." & w+ c E+ s B# J- o1 A. _! H$ P! B
4 w8 r6 i2 Q5 h: {Learning languages 1 h! _# O" R0 z+ T3 W+ E. u
2 ~8 p$ L% U$ D: u+ U! H2 E
Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. ) C- K H2 c6 w y
$ Y# ]" X+ b: F/ W8 ~3 {It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. ; y8 e* v; c' W& z6 Q
% x1 c) s. D0 R8 u
She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. ) c" a( b3 {' L0 W8 ^
5 K3 m. O4 k( Q% o"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. 7 k; @" X* l# k |) j
) z% X: h/ G0 {& g( ]"This is something we can improve on." " c4 p$ h- ~# L
$ J& \- x2 D' F8 i" z" r7 ?
Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 9 J) U5 {( R- a& B4 F
, j& j* l, |5 F9 |/ B1 D7 a5 R
"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. % ~9 z M' _! u4 i- `
" S/ u+ J4 Z9 p
"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. ( Z8 r: Z/ M ^( H/ N k
% C( N' v9 [5 \. C z: W
"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. & ~ [0 H) A% E& W5 K) V
! A# r$ ~7 @7 O8 A, ?4 S( b$ m* ]8 W"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." 4 i( @" _" N* Z
3 n$ O v5 a7 ^ XThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July.
7 I1 R9 H) I/ X9 Q- y7 ^3 V
/ N3 {+ Z6 z! G' s2 K6 MStory from BBC NEWS:/ t( z8 Z8 f$ E' j5 H- o# v
- M$ [) R' Y6 g$ A7 E; @$ Y[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|