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$ n" Z5 |- \$ M4 I" [/ {说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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: D T( x5 b% b4 w说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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. F- b" F2 _: u% E0 U3 \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。
7 t' u0 ~ @6 ^& r ^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。
- v- h" p. {" `1 Y1 n; @% 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。
+ [% N3 ^3 c$ t7 y: f6 O/ k4 h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。
: _, Q3 [6 Y) {8 z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。 ; q" W1 t: b. ^& R" i/ @
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。 $ d+ a7 I+ \) S( J* _2 x; E
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。2 p' ]- v% ?+ u$ a3 q7 J4 y
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. # e( J a* S" q h+ w& m% t
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. , [7 U7 `& l% t1 w# | d5 G
9 ~3 H1 Q7 f$ _3 _5 pThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. ! A3 U% y! c6 M' N
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. - x m) ^. D {& n% n% x
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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. , ~2 }3 F5 B4 k6 w* N+ l
- N, z0 c6 v7 _. i* M- S' v1 LBrain scans 7 d% k. w1 q0 y$ j$ a4 \, q" n. Q
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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. % }& H) K2 R `; @ s3 j7 X, B
7 m" E6 e8 f0 [ @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.
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6 k" }0 }6 A& Y+ h8 _2 OThey 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.
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"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. 3 ?8 o: x( D0 v/ V1 A+ M. }) g6 A! N
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"It overturned some long-held theories."
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1 ^. ~) D% A4 u( U7 MMandarin 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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4 t) q2 D4 U& Z( t+ t8 | FFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. ) v; X9 d: u1 |0 g& E
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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. 0 v8 r1 S: m4 F) ?
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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.
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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. |/ F. d3 Z2 l5 M g* j
! A# `7 D6 V {& ^"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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# ?! t6 v$ v9 L/ }. ~4 kLearning languages
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2 g# L9 k8 G( M. U! _( CDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. 3 t4 K. h# y1 u9 l9 k# \
$ x* L& m! M, m! zIt 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.
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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.
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$ o6 x1 B5 H# ~2 T4 O0 i"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. ( ]! J, G5 K- q- e; ?
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"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. 2 k5 ~9 B* x" X! e5 {
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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. 9 s" v* ~4 Z+ L+ T: `
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"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." 3 O$ l5 [% ?" t Y! W+ |* b
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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.
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Story from BBC NEWS:: j- A: O7 `4 G3 Y2 j
- l' x5 ~; C W; @* f$ O[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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