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/ ^+ N! \7 `2 O7 {) ^" j3 r0 L说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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4 o8 G, l- A+ }3 c3 a说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 - T, x3 s( h, s+ L- F; k2 s6 `
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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。 , [* t* F3 {5 h) L9 l3 }4 G
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。
! B9 Q9 o' r$ |) U, P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。
* ^" E+ Q! ` r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。 " t- M; n G) v/ T: 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。
1 A1 B" b: t2 E( h& Q' L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。
$ Z' X( X- W0 A+ B4 O/ j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。
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
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; J4 f: t, M. sSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. & F% K% a$ l% H% F8 H3 M4 C/ n( z+ I
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.
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% e2 D8 V2 o6 S- y ]- }; uThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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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. * x9 s' g& k& O4 d1 K: g. p
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Brain scans $ p1 `+ \8 I6 X6 r
Z! y9 z% S- a& V9 T) G# RDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers.
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, l% n0 J8 J: a' v" S# o- I- kThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. , ^) m) n( t$ K$ K3 X! \
/ K( O/ e* g$ ^" L7 C" \- H) ZThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. 5 t. o/ Q M c' m4 d v. D
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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." 2 ^. f# x: L( \( U* J& A# ?
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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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, ^+ k8 N& B$ w2 ~' [) s5 R6 MFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 2 c, U5 Q2 C7 b, V# }& W
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The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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"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. ' Y; u ~6 R0 Y6 O N
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"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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$ [( w1 _: D2 i J1 s"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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, O5 w, w" G. u" q4 X! mLearning languages " z/ r, U+ g1 U N; T' e
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. 4 ^5 U1 f9 m3 F+ z0 q! F
5 M* Z8 |, s, E* C5 iIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. : w+ i% I6 |+ `' K; z
/ ]2 q. m) M6 F7 gShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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5 u3 P9 l( C& U6 o! b5 U"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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! U3 {( ?" j% o7 v' ~2 a"This is something we can improve on." 0 {7 Z) ?: e& a; Z' ^' [
' R! |0 Z6 x& _3 o4 `Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. * \ a* a6 |7 B
0 V! ~3 g2 B& l; j"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. % z e5 o/ E; f4 H0 _: M: F$ m' N) b: k
1 ~9 q0 C" p$ `; w4 \"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. 0 ]. v3 Q/ o8 w: i. O! y
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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."
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3 C5 M Y+ l6 j$ a8 ]The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. + {- R( s# @6 B* ?' B
0 d, ~$ t0 @9 b/ Y, k" G; b- X2 a( JStory from BBC NEWS:
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) Z) O) h( G4 [2 Q2 g/ }[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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