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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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. [) h) L! K4 S, f' G" y说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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- W9 E0 t: l. O G$ |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。
6 b# `2 N4 I" ~* E6 n7 }- z; U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。 / k* b1 o% w* U1 _
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。 ( ]# |7 Q. o# ^, X/ G$ _5 @; z6 W# @
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。
2 C! w2 {& p$ [4 L/ {) i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。 ; W+ ]5 X9 u/ |# A- d8 a
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。 ; b. L6 z7 p8 j/ ]" s) H5 k$ R
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。, K2 p" v! r# [) H- x! M ~+ y1 a; h
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3 |* R6 H& q0 Q% ^5 _/ K. W# y7 U* h( vChinese 'takes more brainpower' $ r' z' c3 @& s% m: j
* b2 D/ |4 _: L! JSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. * Q6 ~6 S! [' g% ` H$ I
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. 6 T% I! L: g5 i
: c2 `6 F- `4 I* L, I0 C: {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. " ]- R7 h4 k& v. Q% e
% ~+ K9 b* f9 f3 lThis, 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. X, e- h# T( W/ `9 L
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Brain scans
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6 X$ x6 m, B6 l: q `+ sDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. $ X) S& L* a( h( w. D+ ^
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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. ! q# @8 k9 c, `/ N
3 K. K2 G& r4 M' PThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. $ s9 g" r/ j5 a* ^1 Y, V$ H4 ^
" X# s$ b' M q [' Y3 Y' g- C* Y" R3 eHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. ) a: \% X8 \9 c! k c" ?5 W
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"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. % a' m u* M, Q7 ~
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"It overturned some long-held theories." 0 x" g8 d/ y- Q! N, e
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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.
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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. # p- E- g8 c: o7 a6 Q2 X
" V# s' K$ v1 J* b4 x7 O! C! M2 eThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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+ Z. O P" C7 T9 A% q"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. 9 ^; j$ B! R( q1 T: F% d! X
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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
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Learning languages z! W8 i/ m0 a# |2 ]: v
. {4 Z6 g+ H/ sDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. 2 u$ S8 I8 C' X; t
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She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. ( p% @. a) R; n
" n y* {) ?& J"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. ! i6 q3 W0 E" j
+ z e, r' O* j- s0 v% h"This is something we can improve on." 5 f. }' c; n1 J
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Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. " Y4 [9 m% z( k. ]# k, p9 R
% e6 A, k% W- ^4 Q( l* }9 }"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. ; E: c* }% L3 A; B8 C6 ^
& c" N" v( R' x6 O B Z- ^/ @* z"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
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* y/ A! `' P$ f, z9 ^9 {"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. " j( _9 E7 X- p# T8 m+ v$ V- F
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"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
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G* } B: H7 h2 O0 G* L3 NThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. ) h0 M* z; s2 S3 z
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Story from BBC NEWS:5 M6 E/ j; v3 ~+ [) t5 p* r% k1 U
% f) p3 G( V4 Q$ l% e w[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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