 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT
* _4 A) q0 o+ m6 D说汉语者使用大脑更多部分: }& C' x( Q; A; u$ M* C
: `6 z( ~& U7 K l+ F. _7 W9 Z
3 i; `4 v% V1 Z2 j, J说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 2 K: L6 |( L& d
, R) X. O9 `0 M) f
" C- _, a7 R E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。
' ]7 h- V1 Y. O/ Y; W8 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。 # i# s% I$ w" t
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。
$ b6 L! P( i2 d1 ^% W/ 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。
; Y$ L# U: b& A% \9 ^4 _9 R% ^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。
$ j! C- c/ z, ]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。 & H! `- o: O' [1 `: ~/ [1 n) @
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。- I& x# r1 T; K# s7 F; \) Y6 X. Q
. {0 P- g# _2 E* \9 T' j/ X+ I; Q
$ v9 D. U; x: N4 b6 D- y* mChinese 'takes more brainpower' + L' x6 l+ I9 y
6 }+ _( H* X) J2 m+ U1 u" uSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
8 o4 S/ m) l0 ~0 o9 E6 `7 H( MResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. $ ?) V) e+ N' B/ ]
) N1 @9 r$ h, a9 ~* K
This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
; d4 U( K& }( \4 r! E8 T; \6 v# Y3 L) {
The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
0 `+ R' f# I9 G& J% F
: N6 {. [- z; u$ I" \' c* sThis, 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. ! F l1 p( C- }% _" t7 V, p# W
}; m2 D/ Y" ?( JBrain scans
4 ]$ Y0 i. K% ?0 O$ X
8 L+ p; L- T5 f8 ?& {Dr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers.
$ y" P [& R' ~ u q" P) I) s
* X& o' ~: d2 qThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
# v: \' ]# k1 j) Z! F- V( B3 Q" ?- a1 b! H+ t5 ~7 A ~ g
2 @4 q9 I! o* x% f8 X, a2 \6 \$ `
The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
% o% V6 J) _; \5 T! }0 e$ x! ~. @. S! e' `, j8 W' R" h O
They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers.
, E2 y5 H, m+ _7 W( W6 t) [6 ]' |6 L
However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. 8 n5 c% w! V2 R/ R: Q9 A/ L
: Z8 p) V2 l# a
"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
0 r$ {- |5 j, M3 r
: {) t+ z+ i/ D6 h"It overturned some long-held theories."
% q! F% v k; ~
o- q* \/ c1 \3 V! Q3 MMandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. + A- s5 D, X% I9 f' D( |* e# U
( H7 v, {: Y9 f! ^1 j# _For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. 7 V; J" q* W8 w8 t6 C" H
' L1 A; R* h5 _
The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
4 N% i% F& F) K5 i. s/ `
* m. P4 c; m' N* {# OThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. 0 ^, l' C! X3 y* [8 h+ F1 V4 p" r$ o
$ N! ?" Q- B) A3 ]8 C6 t! m
"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.
& Q1 F% m4 T0 |" |3 W% K0 u' ^
2 k: E0 H: U$ t, R& ^! Z4 C"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. 5 T% Y, ^8 t0 u$ X% W5 |
$ q4 W8 {" S2 X9 `$ M* S"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
9 y! {+ s. ?7 w& L9 E
6 U5 p# }3 i0 Q% M$ ELearning languages a4 u2 \$ ?$ x! w# Z
* u2 a/ a0 F# ^3 J5 J! K) f2 s! a
Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
0 N) n: j6 Z% M& x( s5 X
. O. R9 L' i5 _5 n. J3 I; _/ }1 AIt could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
# x1 C, I L6 k- M6 N& T' j
" }9 q2 u b, N8 }9 M% b: AShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
6 s3 ?2 X- I+ V& N9 {8 \( B# D
$ U/ H6 |# N6 O"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said.
) D, Z+ o1 d7 @/ `
8 c" J. m% @. U, T9 T* ["This is something we can improve on."
8 q6 t7 \: L$ U9 g3 u: Q2 z9 }: W& }7 I1 u
Dr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 2 e! t+ b. \& V* S+ C6 f& k
4 O0 @: M! h) n- H1 U, I) ?
"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. . g1 e# U+ S4 K2 k: B+ t6 [ B& ?
. A+ c5 ^9 i4 Z. T"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language. , e$ \! y. R7 t" Q/ x6 m5 _
! L: }/ y! z" D"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. ; f5 m" d( J3 C) |
( U5 V+ @# h; j x! a8 A* }8 v
"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." 3 L; b: b3 r! r
" w1 r: P" h+ W o+ K% c. \+ LThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. * C, l+ ~( Z! ?4 c! b4 s
9 l! u) S5 S6 q: zStory from BBC NEWS:
0 t0 C" `8 V6 m0 N* K9 u4 H! |
# @+ S' X2 w6 N n' _% `/ u E8 g. \[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|