 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT
1 Y) y6 E# ^, x2 D$ l8 {1 c说汉语者使用大脑更多部分. G! y, F) q O' o( @
d, L/ c, M( w0 O5 f: P @& h8 Z8 y6 _* f) a5 e! T
说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 1 ]+ }2 Q7 h: q' Y
0 _2 Q1 F: Z! \/ K7 A. F2 ~/ C7 I2 ~5 \. N' ^% I! n
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 t b& }* x- G; y: i7 Y9 [; f
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。
9 `0 {% M1 E% e% o3 B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。 / Z8 A4 z2 K$ B, e
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。
' Y9 K/ a5 q/ O2 v8 H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。
# H' \0 l; \# @, ^; p4 y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。
7 ~. o" l3 S y. [! n$ Z7 {2 V9 O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。; S b1 |' ~" d" _
' j$ D6 y( N' K0 }( w( o& L' d, t% z% M4 U- l. n
Chinese 'takes more brainpower'
% E" R/ e) }5 z) A
5 K) G4 y Q# U P1 ZSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
! ~+ R$ s; N. b. z' f e4 u6 `3 rResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
1 ?( _1 [ m/ C0 r; m
2 m' f) Q& @0 ]0 f8 A5 MThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
8 a1 e: v; a; y* D- l8 u" a# [. y$ u8 Q" J; s
The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. 6 z- }8 F# {+ M3 }
) o9 g; ~/ t' o; o* bThis, 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 X; q8 N' a9 H y$ Z1 p- N2 w# }3 L3 V. ]& f9 q! R
Brain scans h, J, C2 H% V. r* K
" q1 h0 q7 @% J) Y/ e8 T1 s1 [Dr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. 8 s `' i* M: j: @ s" w; i- z
! Y" y; d: n6 fThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. , p, @( f: L( z$ y
! X0 U! d, l. y0 |
9 b& ]. V4 T) a6 {& kThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. ) y/ i N9 L- Q' m+ n- ^' F" o
8 l" h& D) d# C+ h' Y) mThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. 0 k) ]. _6 J8 W$ }4 c' q
! L+ j( a p6 [$ C) l$ c" k& p a) f
However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. * }! r5 Y! B0 ~: G
; b' G& m" K `: x7 {- ]
"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
4 Z9 Q/ J4 V) L) M
1 }+ f8 X6 B7 ^6 D$ b' S"It overturned some long-held theories."
8 Y+ F, f" I1 |0 a: E! ]
( e( S5 R' |# U3 s2 P) \/ sMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. ; |! }8 L8 s3 D
( l- R0 Q; Y+ b4 T" U; ]* C
For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said.
" j# q8 A# H9 I; P# W
8 h1 Y; q) C' G2 `8 ^8 O4 OThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
6 L+ N8 H( E* s! N
+ O; F3 P! F R. i4 AThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. - a8 e2 a; c+ u- j8 I) F) p; G
" N J& Z% }/ j* R7 _# c
"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.
9 x! a9 ]' Y. ?; Z( g+ F. c+ U$ T0 t6 Z4 b
"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. 8 _* Z- `0 c" H2 U/ s; q
3 Y$ ~3 K; a% z1 v( ^$ L- h% S"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
: z$ V5 B, q+ {" ]' ^) Q2 x+ W7 U& J( l/ r) I; ~. N
Learning languages & d4 h5 }* M0 @5 b" B
% V& ]- U, ^* x% e
Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
+ ^$ g, B0 ^6 ^' y5 x! b6 x
8 Y3 x4 t, j0 j3 m2 `/ A+ YIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. * k2 i# v+ C( y4 i) \4 `
4 c7 ^+ S2 n! u2 N0 H4 o/ |She suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills. 4 M6 b- t+ q- v# `
, K3 v- M, E( F! @/ v( _% e! Z
"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said. 1 m8 s5 F/ ?8 m3 R
+ M) y' h* x4 x* x& _" O* x
"This is something we can improve on." 9 @3 P$ e7 c. l" s8 a; S1 p, y
; _$ `: `" p9 i
Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
, o$ Q; [" Y4 ?: }: I$ d9 I/ L" G+ l
0 j y; R+ i8 U- U3 j"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online.
" p: W# M- X2 c% b7 c/ o
N1 v6 `( ~) S- \9 J"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
5 L! J' B5 j5 i+ i8 t$ i# l9 {* c5 _' p5 m+ ?, j* H* s: Z" [
"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
/ q. p) I1 K3 i: D6 b5 y; d7 V, M/ x+ L: Q
"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." 2 D9 u+ @; Y7 F
9 r; r( N! M/ u# t+ tThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July.
1 |, v4 ?! i1 C( t' J; U* |: P H4 M8 x
Story from BBC NEWS:
) N' s4 P4 O7 {9 @1 g
9 l* R8 _7 ]; f+ x4 d: f+ G0 }[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|