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, a4 n/ m" q6 T' [$ V( N$ ?) z) ?说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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3 N5 ]- x. X4 W& T" v1 E说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 * V! |4 M; Q& z- m1 R/ z
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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。
) S. j3 J7 {$ _& F2 i4 d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。 : x: }, w- s5 W4 ]: m& a+ W5 L/ U
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。 . ~) Z8 S1 n5 I$ h# M* f- V/ q$ r% y
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。 0 V+ b4 j4 }- }+ W( y! B8 I/ H
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。
: ?9 F7 Y- K1 y, D2 d) E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。 " r. f2 x, @! v
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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. [4 P+ n; D1 S( T1 x" ?Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
! A# Y, E/ o2 |- T' W: u2 VResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. + h$ ?4 z; P& X" }' a
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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.
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6 T0 B y4 b) B" j0 o. o% F: sThis, 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 1 H! h, N% A/ L
( G" q( q. R, Q1 j) IDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. 3 o! `+ c: _* w3 Z" ^- S: c
/ A2 i, Y( ~/ TThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. - t7 a1 P# X7 ^4 g5 i
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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. 7 |2 a* k+ y7 I" n3 r U4 X
# `0 L9 W$ v+ U/ T( [& E$ hThey 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. ! i, @+ p$ J K- {
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"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. 0 i4 {: y+ d, |) R4 j
0 w% \! j# G- [ L/ D"It overturned some long-held theories."
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+ V$ ?2 J \9 @4 NMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. 7 V* h& ?, G7 N3 }& J2 e
% U8 G0 t5 s2 _9 m n) FFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. : p. ]: \0 b2 \7 I0 E
& m& h* |8 O# G BThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. * @9 Y) P+ X& i- A3 ?; p
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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. * U# }8 [9 h4 B! v- a/ b
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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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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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2 e5 `4 l9 L/ {4 J. |Learning languages
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. N' d: M% M& G9 c, hDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. ! ?# \! ~) h5 g$ n; r% f2 F
$ |, {& P7 G0 `+ LIt 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. / D7 g+ g* P+ y
5 h; z6 s7 K, t: z% g% d# {- X2 } `"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." 6 U. p: D: s! `* d
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Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. , C8 d4 b9 A( {6 X
/ J X9 f5 K& T, p9 d"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. , N# [9 p+ l7 ?+ h
4 x( g6 i$ T, J$ g k"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. $ \5 E" ^$ `3 F. u* v6 @' t
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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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% ?/ g K, T+ j4 x"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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3 c) X1 ^5 L2 k3 oThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. " X0 A- m% d2 R8 F( ]3 j
2 C& K% J+ j/ C2 y: T2 T- wStory from BBC NEWS:. U: Z1 l0 x1 G* t) j1 P
9 T5 W6 d1 S) L7 X[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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