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0 S' I& f# }& R& u9 [6 A3 c* d! p& N! R说汉语者使用大脑更多部分! T6 P5 n+ @% s& `) M! t! C
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说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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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。 9 l w1 E9 T3 k, k
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。
$ e7 Q/ E0 j; P7 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。 ( m( Q8 `' w( n" D
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。
+ r; f3 l! T6 _8 r2 o" X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。 + v ~! U( \, Z7 n0 b/ s+ R" {. W2 c
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。
# Q2 K; c# W$ V- ~6 T( Y1 ]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。: G$ a. t0 }5 O2 A, s# X- z( v+ v
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
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0 C; Y! Z$ w, E1 Y# [/ }/ FSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
" q& n, j+ x& r! C. cResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. }& J+ ` v6 |4 d( k
Q% h0 G! C* }, }8 p' eThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. % u/ P8 Q8 r0 L6 }: A z3 o7 s
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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8 j& X' u4 h v, \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 h8 Z1 h2 v/ x2 c) V4 K% f
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Brain scans
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( Z* @9 } ?+ F6 U! `0 }Dr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. % T; W5 ^& f/ |$ [+ |$ `$ m% ?
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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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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. & ~6 `! I. J- N
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They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. 5 G( N. q3 D( D) d. Z/ T$ J
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However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. 1 q# K( O8 _. y8 O& t% I
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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." / t9 D6 d# `# J) T$ W
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Mandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. ! |( Q9 E( j5 U& @/ i
4 ?9 d2 _) D/ s" L+ ?' E% `For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 3 B9 b8 {+ N6 f$ }
) ]5 `- m% z3 A* }+ `The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. + x- p. j2 F" Q& c( ?# z. w
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. 7 t' \' z- u3 N1 \+ L
% h! }# ` E& g; d0 [% @6 J; x"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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4 O# T1 a4 z" R9 K"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. 0 \, R' X1 d0 {6 V
& c. I* S0 g k P"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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/ s0 w% r6 b3 f/ cLearning languages , k# p" N1 f8 N* w
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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1 h; S1 L% }: H2 y0 c7 G( AIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. : T( ~$ T, C8 V4 b$ O! k: S
: ]* O! l2 P9 r8 \+ g5 I+ XShe 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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( M: f- h; z* J/ Y& u. j6 q5 V* X"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. - W1 c2 X+ P4 B
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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.
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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. J. d; m( T0 a( p1 j* y7 D6 f
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"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." + M5 t9 ~; `9 @7 X7 c" e6 F
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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. " k. f# E7 @- c& \; p3 Q
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Story from BBC NEWS:
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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