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, R4 x1 h( o& _5 s" }说汉语者使用大脑更多部分2 P" Y; C0 X- `$ @+ [4 Z
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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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7 h: r, D2 @+ h3 ~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。 . N" L9 o7 B6 T$ s7 B* t$ @4 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。 3 }6 T T3 ~9 T3 h
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。
2 j% y* B: y5 w* ^1 S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。 - \; z: k, G# i# i8 L
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。
* @" \/ z0 b% y- V( P2 o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# w) I! U1 w8 I% V# |
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。 M8 _. J- o! b2 h1 ~/ O. E2 }0 e
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
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' b7 W1 W: l4 [7 C. F4 @2 mSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. y$ G# _) b: y, `
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. * g3 L$ M, e7 t. A/ v
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This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. % c4 M# T; o0 t! ]) ], h& E6 ]
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. r/ Z- `2 x" b% `9 i
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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. " x4 y4 v/ d2 |1 D3 W7 w# l
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Brain scans 0 Z" [: x2 l- k1 P5 \8 `' X
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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.
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They found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. $ d. T0 Z- C0 G9 i" n
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4 T! `* _" j# t" {) \* v1 a: TThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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; V4 Y- R: p9 u' P! |% lHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
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"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
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"It overturned some long-held theories." 9 G! E4 X( X( G2 c
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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. - T( e$ ]% I. v, {
6 Z7 u( z8 y" ]! F9 r" a. L1 K9 gFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
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0 _- n! ]% O0 w' jThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. 5 C0 h: q6 f1 q! c U7 X! V
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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9 g7 C# D5 W2 H, N) W"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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6 X' d& g: L4 m. d* s& K+ ~6 z"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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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." ( `4 q @! ~/ i( ^4 R6 w0 i
) D7 D4 g& @2 B! e' bLearning languages ! Z' h) r0 g% r! T5 D
. q. u7 C1 @5 M% KDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. 9 R6 Y/ v w: {& A% e/ _6 M2 F
# m$ f' d8 m9 G: B8 eIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
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) R6 m/ j0 {" NShe 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. / x2 S& E4 q! j' o' a# o
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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.
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% t: v3 f! Z9 q0 C, Y' o% @"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. ) I" y: R, `, w: v+ f' M) r V7 Z; d
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"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." / e! y) G; z% X" y/ W, A
- u" y) I L- m& z! p& ?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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3 ] p8 ]- p# uStory from BBC NEWS:
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+ F0 a; Y& M, m[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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