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# q1 S+ V% l) @% g8 X# \. D1 t说汉语者使用大脑更多部分# F1 M5 f7 w' ?, k1 i8 n$ s
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' b: ~- G' L+ u6 T8 x说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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; i1 D7 ^* c# I3 i1 ?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 z( f8 @/ ?* K* j. V4 W
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。
. v4 ]7 c2 Z8 K# V$ 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。 0 |+ C. H% O- ^1 z! 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。 2 N9 V: n+ l* ?8 y8 i: f- @
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 S0 A: p3 F2 M6 p. L+ F( j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。
U7 Q; ~4 i/ v$ ^% f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' # a5 S4 E( |# `# }' V" |$ ^7 V6 z4 R
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. ( {" U8 D4 x, ^* o2 Q6 m! _! a
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. ( b9 R9 h; J7 i! s" I: d0 R
, H4 P, G( L. c; `; \" zThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. 8 {9 S, ~/ Q0 ^/ i2 w
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. 7 Y% _: J# b# U: u! O" x o
6 J; D8 \- V2 jThis, 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. & Y7 i J- G. C Z# S2 U
8 y6 F6 R; [' k" x7 A% yBrain scans
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O9 s' R) }% k4 _Dr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. 1 S% {$ G: [- u' c8 Q+ I1 Y
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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.
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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. " Q4 b5 b: M g) z/ _6 A
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
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% @' g( R5 u8 M) U. r( EHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. " }, ?+ w, X) P7 d
! K& B( ^, g; \1 E"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. / b) l* D4 Y6 j& ?
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"It overturned some long-held theories." w s! M% u- d
b; r9 G5 m) G- l, z& |1 VMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. , ?9 N$ F0 j) D0 A- C
' f; g% S" \2 cFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
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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. 8 k$ f* D) q/ L5 a" f
! K) L( y/ G) `9 T) GThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. " d; ?/ g; P# W* o- N5 @
8 x% W4 U1 a" }% V& S"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. & |$ F! G- }" K; E
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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. ; Z, O% a; b, T6 C, m
. y/ W7 ~! X4 w2 V: D, w4 A* K"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." 8 \& y5 p- j+ l& P/ ]
4 i2 r; z8 R7 R- X( [Learning languages 0 p/ \. `# U4 V- i
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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& m8 }% S" [% _, sIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
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She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. 5 e4 M9 k3 I0 f- l) f- B* y/ b
9 C, m1 j, V" M: ? v# ]# m0 A"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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"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. + A* U$ `) D! a& ^& [
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"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
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"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. 1 c' V& ]5 D3 q3 N3 ]1 T. X
2 @3 S6 U/ M; e0 [7 J3 y$ N% N"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." 1 Y F# F3 t& x! r
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The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. 7 N( g, D+ V, D9 _1 @1 @
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Story from BBC NEWS:
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2 r \! A. d" N: K, N/ M6 X[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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