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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分
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* [+ s; |. x2 | l/ y" O说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 / D. c& p0 }# `# a, Y8 A6 m
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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。
; K, f2 D; e. B$ J* h- h5 E; F* A/ [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。
% n$ k8 M; {4 M* H6 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。 % @! n+ E, G- j1 }- a/ p
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。 ( k# Q8 p. z: s
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。
# H8 n5 \& {' M2 }9 V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。 z9 k/ {7 {, v! ?! |4 A% w' 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。/ \3 F8 X: w& I j* r; N) _
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& A5 m7 I2 P4 d, h" A, \Chinese 'takes more brainpower' , S9 q- q; _# W2 h
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
8 h5 {9 B3 |1 f% A- tResearchers 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.
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The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
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, D# P: v; }7 q+ J" o( g/ ~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. ' N. A# B, S s# r) Y/ _
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Brain scans " w) b+ C' {, T T
0 D' n! `$ Q- v+ V. `: r4 ADr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. " H# w8 x4 U# d9 p
3 ]: P6 n% x* Y% }- X- M2 j+ {They found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. 9 ?% u* r# {% y; i
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$ y; A+ d. n; u! OThe 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. 2 a- r" q: t2 H
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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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# {8 e, p% d$ n5 t* ^* c"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
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2 d- P, d8 y) f7 v% t0 \7 r"It overturned some long-held theories." - ]0 G4 D4 g% y- C
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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. 4 y) E7 e/ [& j' ]! `
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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. 9 e2 P+ J+ v9 d, G6 o" R4 F4 Z
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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.
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# q7 d. T5 j) n. n"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." 2 h# K" a8 n1 a) X j
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Learning languages
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" G5 x3 W% a8 s BDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. - D5 V/ h8 l" h/ E7 A) s
% Z, b' d9 _% bIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. 2 k0 ]5 y, w, Q/ N7 m& d
+ i' [2 M5 t; nShe 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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"This is something we can improve on."
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3 z' j8 ?& G2 r+ }Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. ( J: M% x ]) _/ e3 u) T
: ` O# f: V, s7 e. b# J"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. . j0 Y+ v& V* n* Z
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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. ( l' z! R. `2 j; ?: u' J( c
- i+ B! A" b' u1 k"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. " ?" E- {9 a8 \5 i
0 A" h0 U; C+ R* r9 f! }: a) SStory from BBC NEWS:; C0 V' V, ~4 C
! h+ f8 ?9 \) }[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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