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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分2 O6 ? s) W9 @2 S! A1 l9 A* D1 k! K
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说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 : P: P! v3 I& y: {3 t0 a
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2 R) B" U" O: m2 o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。 4 R% N8 ~( c6 L
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。
1 A' q4 |6 R( K; A% f2 }4 J/ R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。
$ a, a' A7 `3 a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。
# i; D& W# Z* R( p! {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。 . {& s/ x& U6 g8 |
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。 - U% w: p% N1 |, a8 O# x2 e0 I Y
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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3 D3 U' y/ c3 P }$ e" L8 Y& C" e0 iChinese 'takes more brainpower' 2 Z1 X4 |3 n# s. V) B
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
3 G7 ]/ ~ j/ i5 a$ w0 UResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. ! K) M9 i$ f* z
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This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. ; \" L* A! E6 J; r# A; a
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. # |9 n. v* z. Q6 B
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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. # [0 S' ]3 V9 M# w! Z3 Y
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Brain scans
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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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3 {0 J( j" C$ ^8 X, D% aThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. 1 p; I9 O$ ]6 F4 N6 a9 D! J
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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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) ?3 c; Z0 `6 b1 L& aThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. - r8 M+ F: H0 l1 S/ W/ T4 J* A7 l- o
0 j' p9 c& x+ y8 F" [9 ]! MHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. & E8 q: D) n+ d6 i, U5 ~
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"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. 4 M, _3 \+ U$ y; k9 P
% q$ l9 S) s& H0 H. |$ ?"It overturned some long-held theories." 5 ^+ s: ~! `3 }, A% a) O$ b" Y1 b
7 T& {; s8 G7 j1 M2 G! v2 AMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. * @0 m* T# a# {! E, K& i" Y% t% a
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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
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2 j% f8 I. @" G5 z+ S2 w8 ]% FThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. + f- G5 ^" I6 H4 O. m, y* o9 T
9 E. v" @) ~3 b3 \The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. + @3 u2 F% _- v. F$ x* @: o
; x" A$ x4 M# I$ J0 O"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. 2 Z% V* |3 ?" O- a( O# q q2 z% V
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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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% w* E( v' o& V% _"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." . H) H: X: B/ L$ }( k% G4 G1 @+ _
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Learning languages / e" b1 j; `1 a1 P* p
7 c6 z# `1 D/ S# p1 V/ rDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. $ ~2 @1 V! L; @1 J
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It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
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5 s' L1 h! [$ T8 V2 _) kShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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" E. [ s3 W) {6 v5 z5 G"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." " A7 x* f+ A2 }" U
' k1 \6 ~% w6 Q; B- @* wDr 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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"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. ( k9 e. X& }, i/ P4 o
; k2 X1 L( h' h7 ]% P; z6 g {5 w% q"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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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:
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, T5 b$ r s! \9 @* x# Y[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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