 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT/ U f9 E1 }6 B0 l0 {/ `
说汉语者使用大脑更多部分( M' b( y) p6 u
: i7 w2 G5 e5 t+ w4 Q3 c
+ V) w5 M/ T0 M7 I说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
0 [, @. E1 S& L# I) V7 ]: x. q8 g* |0 I0 w0 x$ @
u0 D8 x5 C2 p
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。 8 @& z# V) b& { i
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。 2 q/ |- ] D0 L
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。
6 p; }9 |* n0 z: U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。
: A- I; Y! l( J, w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。 # @ `% K* e# w3 I) P- e2 m
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。 : a$ k" y8 i# l
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。- _5 S4 P" S# s8 e2 |$ U7 a1 Y
$ U' Y/ w' w3 \# Z8 m8 m7 e) y
" i7 V/ B3 G+ p3 RChinese 'takes more brainpower' 9 s* @1 M. m. m6 F
, w9 d6 U- V6 I; x9 C X
Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
# N7 k5 |- v( f2 x4 t* f8 YResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
n; i9 w- F& m' I/ i5 d+ G8 G5 v& F' ?9 V
This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
) @/ U) k9 k( ?1 `6 C/ V" n- X. U- ?5 g ^9 J$ g8 @: H. }& R/ n. K
The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
|6 Y; F* t# W( }; `2 G! \2 b$ O. D4 {6 p+ ~) j* W$ E
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. {5 w) t( N+ M+ M: h ?
: G6 s* ?! P; A9 T
Brain scans
$ Y- s: `) D5 H- ?1 S: |& q# ^3 U* h5 e
Dr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers.
+ E) I5 g& H6 k0 z2 y; W
0 ^' `* y; X0 N8 h& ~5 W BThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
) M- R; I3 ]1 J! }) {1 a) K" A2 L2 k6 ~, M# j) T
. M1 A$ K4 _7 u L
The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. 9 N/ K5 {- m! b% c& M* {; ~: X
0 j- w$ L+ K# F. s0 i- r1 v9 [
They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
6 k) g, A( s' k
) k$ v( a' |& ]7 L# }! s, r, dHowever, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin.
7 ~* O; f- P4 q+ _5 E: O; y/ a$ a6 r7 I* ^! d
"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. " B1 g, w0 ~' [: y! _8 s
* x$ v3 Q: G! M- P* g0 ^
"It overturned some long-held theories."
* v9 E. t) k' k6 v$ T3 f3 \7 z) i2 y8 x- r
Mandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words.
5 N, v8 U1 F4 S4 [ R3 n2 U1 S
- M* r0 G3 S: O9 s( T+ OFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 5 U! k/ G" S+ M E' _
X6 q6 F: D3 T$ f$ i5 W$ m
The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. ; p; ?! x4 T0 m
* G' v: [2 r5 ~8 b4 j; K0 @: Y
The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. 4 F A% D+ C4 O \4 c1 C! B$ Y
# D# @ b4 E- _, W9 ^5 r"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. $ y% Z/ m/ x9 {8 o8 q7 t4 y. s/ C- q u2 a
/ e3 I0 Y9 ]& ^2 t"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech.
: Z0 y" t0 s6 x) l: F8 F
+ r7 d7 b1 m% a3 z( ?"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." / g% v6 \7 l& A2 O/ s
9 D7 e+ q0 |) v5 j
Learning languages j, r" W6 A. B9 `
! p! F5 r3 ?, nDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. ' c! f& d( V- k$ U/ [& q$ I
' H+ {" @$ c* C2 T4 x7 eIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. 1 n' B/ n; s/ o) l6 J7 [1 M1 B! M
! M; D" E. C, \" i& l- i/ F+ G
She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
) O0 K5 V+ b3 o& ~( G
' f6 ^5 `6 [. j9 {' E0 E( k5 B"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. t7 t7 V+ j) U( y, v8 t3 L
$ }* m/ M- w) M' V/ `"This is something we can improve on." 7 P# h! Y }+ A/ O+ V# e0 V( f# }! G
; t! X- ?0 X! R6 {' \& n9 @( aDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. ! Q1 H5 ~, r& s0 z8 W5 J& c
3 s' V! x% D4 E2 U9 V
"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
; y! S6 b! H& T# G( K% \/ F
( ]! s" L9 x4 o% R. {+ Y* l"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
: p# Q3 K' E: u( p6 M- n9 j- O. ^& l8 D
"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. a! ^) N" Y: d1 q" N5 ]* Z
1 _7 M! O! O5 _' U4 @
"This field is really opening up but it is very early days."
" H5 }, ^6 ?; y; K& h( \- M2 U! d" w- j: `- l& y2 f7 H& g
The findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July.
0 W! o. t9 f3 }5 E; I7 T
( ~4 f: L% ~8 K! g9 ~8 ]0 _) a- oStory from BBC NEWS:
7 Y1 v5 \- z* A+ n- u Y9 H9 m4 e9 v3 T" M: {1 `
[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|