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4 w. d7 t- C5 L. n* R j说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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! I8 S- Q5 F- G! b说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 7 u' S+ G# B! l! s7 g% @5 _- T
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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。
. v6 r1 e: M+ A) W, C% `" h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。
/ z( n" J) {8 U, j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。 " ~; q0 U) s S/ S3 s
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。 / Y5 \- r( F8 O# E- C, A
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。
+ \' \, W5 F! W4 j6 s, r1 \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。
4 l( o' ^5 ^, [# d$ S; Z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。* a3 }0 t# i5 k* ^2 P' I
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Chinese 'takes more brainpower' 4 R3 y% i; {1 Z5 M% M3 G6 S
7 }! v3 i4 q$ m$ O' o6 hSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. 2 T6 M4 h$ v% `
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. : q8 {1 e. E# Q3 u5 [
! I$ k. C- F; Z: {, ~The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. & y% O/ ]/ [1 l# W
% g z# a" `' ]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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' P( x3 z7 z2 G, {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. % L( c4 P+ p$ J' T* l
0 y* d. i) C: n( C9 y7 }2 a4 _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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/ P. @! ?7 P$ XThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
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They 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.
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"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. ) b1 [5 _1 Y8 C( X% u
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"It overturned some long-held theories." 2 g3 k( V0 l& Y9 f+ E; k
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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. & p4 x- ~- ^+ p1 n( h9 D: t
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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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The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. / o" O' |0 P% t! I- k8 |
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. & D4 a+ y! h( e/ X
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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.
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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. # p9 v2 H$ V1 S
$ `% h. W4 ?* d ^; E"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." & @! P6 F& h. S3 _
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Learning languages
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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: t. q- W) S" Z, t0 a; sIt 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. " B+ h1 U4 z/ _) X4 d
# s6 A& Y8 r9 \. a) ~! 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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; j7 X5 y" m( v. b"This is something we can improve on." ( M6 I, N1 A* _; I/ n) O- F! J
* e/ I# x" N3 R; d- oDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 5 h" ]! N& `' u/ q6 w# Z
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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. 8 Z/ B5 [ w3 W& E& m
1 t" t/ K- R* N3 \6 Y A"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. 8 b4 n% I6 u. j! n7 k7 V* L
], C5 Z. y; W) dStory from BBC NEWS:
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[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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