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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分# E9 f }& }! L9 f# ~( R) ?) Y
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说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 ( j8 x8 o# P" |/ z8 Z2 N: J' _- a
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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。
" B& K) m9 p. M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。
: a& w5 H) L1 t8 r ?5 {4 |& M- s' V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。 ( J0 N' S! |& i4 ^ J* }
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。 * l. s( @/ T5 q% x/ D
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。 & _. F+ y$ R: T; w& Y
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。
) G. k- ]( ]. w$ B1 s' M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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: j- l1 T7 Y z: W% O! WSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. ! n7 Q8 K6 _/ J! ]/ f g$ w9 l2 t
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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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. * t" j4 _1 _: o7 E1 ?/ V- B) c1 ]
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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.
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Brain scans ) c/ w, e4 I/ T! n4 y( W
2 S5 a0 N K, T7 ?; N8 ^Dr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. . t3 V8 a! j0 {
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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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6 q/ H% D) ^3 }The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. ) G) S" ~$ O* T K8 r6 O' \* L
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. , a* x& F8 v% c4 L5 }1 A+ O
: ]; r- p: v, V# eHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. & |# I" E/ ?- v0 n
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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."
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, c' A8 E/ [* E0 _Mandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. & F. U) p2 P4 T) D# t. P0 G
5 H/ p$ |( O6 i6 j# JFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. # d- B8 q) u7 A) d v$ y: g+ ~
6 j/ m4 k: i3 e8 c- kThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
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1 u" ^0 c( i' Q. }/ B+ xThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. % p8 i7 \$ e5 X8 Z* v
" C" z5 } s% e+ I g. A0 j+ h, U"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.
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; H8 ]7 f' S. M- {2 C"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." ! P3 H1 H7 D! G' U; j2 ?5 Y
; b; m; ^& w- rLearning languages
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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9 F, |0 t3 j M5 p8 j) n& |+ bIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. & c' H( h8 e4 A( i6 f1 t+ k: n$ x
. A4 {0 }/ Y, S1 `6 u# u* K' | eShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
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3 J7 a2 O/ u1 o1 N* C$ [* n; N4 ?: b2 |"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." 1 w4 i/ G! K& K5 x+ t+ @
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Dr 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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' W4 n9 K$ O. ?: A: W"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. & B* {, j* g* ]: @/ W! G
" z* W' r @6 ^+ q7 ^* Z! b/ e1 a"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. 9 d1 W7 H# I) U2 P
7 `0 @+ Y0 p; s9 z% B"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." / h& A" F0 i9 N$ h' ^. x4 G
0 ^ i( v$ _4 e! V# eThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. # J! F' B% z( }5 g* ^, c
& Y* G6 o; ]+ M3 {7 [/ u% QStory from BBC NEWS:
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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