 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT
4 n; z: Y3 _) v O H+ r( I说汉语者使用大脑更多部分( ]. [: }* d6 R
. u! i0 J/ b$ x/ S
6 a' n O/ \( ]8 Y说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 2 Y* j" e$ B; G/ q7 E
' j* }- t( L- v' h7 D6 T; e
; O, X9 b% r" b! b' p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。
' J! A) H) [1 Y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。 0 s5 f2 a2 c6 q9 a% P, c5 x
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。 ( J. F; ~7 h9 _: T5 G& F" P: W- b
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。 Q2 r9 k7 f# Y+ K. a
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 R: {% N( U* m( x- |" v! |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。
0 S+ y& m) f1 u" j. q/ w G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。" U' O5 m. B# f
$ [3 x4 j4 f: D$ N. p# w
0 x* ?; s7 }! {+ k( v; C7 g8 g1 ~
Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
# V. i* Q: ^8 U+ W8 u# w o+ }$ L6 c4 w5 Z; w' u. k
Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. . H$ g9 N3 n0 G1 q% ?) `+ w7 ?! ~
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
' K$ U( w- c! L( W; q& v7 r
& B2 c2 m; P: ~, Z4 HThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
1 J9 z" \5 k' l, x* u4 U Y" X! j7 ~7 u
The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. U; G$ y* T- T; \7 d u. F
' b- l" ~# k5 }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.
: ^9 W* L. |! T7 v- P
+ K/ s7 o' H8 r- l' l) U: FBrain scans
2 n7 V6 O P; Q8 y% v: M. S+ r
}) f0 a) `# U) e; f8 } ]* ZDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. * m M2 f) w# l! l! d
9 y5 _4 _4 W) G; F, J8 V' I
They found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
/ |8 `/ L9 K, a5 V1 B" F Y) e7 T9 K* q, }! [. m
* z+ s+ h+ o& X( f6 h/ i
The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
( T, ~. G4 s$ |' f: G' E5 A) ~6 Y% o+ E! K' u* x
They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. : e" a& c# ^# c. b8 t6 Y9 \! `
; d# }. y" W1 t \7 ]: Q) t+ s: A2 oHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. 1 }) N+ C2 X- v6 R- I
5 E' h8 Y3 n/ G$ M$ M& ]"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
# n v8 l6 [# |; ~" x' r0 |
: s$ B9 R3 }5 w# c' U"It overturned some long-held theories." - U9 F+ |' i' n) O' `6 Y* B0 ?
" \) I) `( i% I
Mandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. % m' n2 O. n9 w5 T
6 z7 G; c0 }8 U0 d* a5 v i S" j
For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. * U2 b7 Y7 n' y! [
! V9 z$ C0 g' Q* r/ y2 l
The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. ) A/ t6 c* Q6 P5 s3 k a% s
- Y, g6 m7 M4 ]% g: c
The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
3 ]( t9 \2 I) w/ I: d7 h( H. T ]+ k, a! D& c
"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.
4 X2 y3 g1 S( f, O$ x& ~" f. t, P8 Y z; X2 o, C9 m* i
"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! W9 i* i3 T6 a: P/ g: }/ N
/ k4 e7 E) @7 g* m8 T( a. p8 t"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
9 c6 Q/ i4 h/ t: w/ T& a: I* p$ _$ k- t! x& f1 L
Learning languages 3 y* X# _$ D, j( s1 n
- Y5 o: y! ` T8 W3 P) X' s8 _Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. - U; y/ v0 B7 L4 h
" F* g# v( `2 u: f" H
It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
" W- A4 s4 t7 U# e3 R& E, P' a* `
She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
% `* o, K- y5 c3 ~' k0 `0 Q* V2 w' K4 p
& X& y6 z' s3 Z% ~/ H; M0 Q"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said.
& z9 N( a& V+ z* A- |) p9 Y
( u( P3 u, J: }$ A) c"This is something we can improve on."
# [2 m. P1 o1 j a( ^- p& b3 Q; }2 d7 N
Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. $ J& t a% O, d$ @0 r& G# S
/ E7 o9 [2 n: S
"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
# L. S5 C; P1 P: R; U0 e( J4 \
J( S6 h, A1 L; }8 n+ t2 L"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
% h/ A9 y' A; g+ o* h' ?0 B: F; C U$ O0 j7 O8 [
"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. 0 X/ V" {+ }, h0 k
M" l4 X$ l! S) G u9 l3 Y- [* u. `1 J' r"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
- D7 a( g- a" }6 n: I C+ {& ^+ W" L& Z
The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. : L/ j$ G) d% t4 s/ r5 ?
) ?, d0 r; Z4 U ?; l3 Z0 g% c; \
Story from BBC NEWS:
i6 U3 ^) ^& n
: |- M8 Z) M* ]" B5 j, H[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|