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1 \6 q; {: W7 T T1 R说汉语者使用大脑更多部分: \: v9 W! }1 [
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! n& l8 F2 q2 m5 }9 ]说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边
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. J9 Y2 M6 _ d3 D: ]3 X2 ?- `4 \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 U" j, m* @' M9 Q. W# [
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。
; _( f+ p9 v1 Q9 R/ l+ y0 [% H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。 u# ]# N) G8 l: v) Z& R
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。
" b" |2 m8 [" C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。
% P8 {; f3 r. V9 b9 A4 P4 l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。 5 F4 b: w/ A, h7 I2 g
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。
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: m3 c9 N/ y- m$ }" rChinese 'takes more brainpower' # u: _! R9 O# Y, z& |- ~6 M0 J8 j
0 a" S8 J4 Y# r3 {2 iSpeaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests.
" H& R# w+ f! q) oResearchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
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% F, y1 M) M1 M/ |( E2 hThis compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. - E# K; |- `# H/ ^ q0 Z9 i
P1 o0 \- i0 Z; K; xThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. 5 d5 u/ X0 X# j6 { H% u
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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. 2 M5 \6 t/ R; ~) Q" t
; s3 i6 q3 [9 L, n6 H/ q9 [& QBrain scans
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# D6 a- b+ u- W* h9 a" xDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. : k1 u0 b( ?* t5 P, f
! p- t# O" [5 v: t# |) [They found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. 0 {* L- O5 }) i _0 ?5 l* x3 L
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; o# y0 M; F7 j- qThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words.
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: J! Z& z$ b' L6 mThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. , J- B5 K' k; F) ~# h
% P' q' U) f2 ?; b8 V% nHowever, 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. 6 n, P! G8 d& a9 S# b; m
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"It overturned some long-held theories." 3 I$ N. }: k7 m- X, A" Z# S
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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. " Y$ X1 u9 v6 t3 ~" E+ B6 h0 {$ L
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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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/ t: g. D+ R+ mThe researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain. 8 g2 r) C' i& X# o- E( t' g
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The right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
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$ ?- R8 w/ {$ q5 f& x/ Q3 p"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. , C* t- v( J( u* G5 h/ v" c
" x! t; Y' c$ ?: c H9 C4 r"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. 3 t8 K1 d2 w8 V- h
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"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." ; Z0 h z& T4 J2 D* o6 q3 n E
* m, D5 ]( v! p4 sLearning languages
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. 1 \! y7 ^2 j7 j4 I
: _- f9 D+ v- u3 }# `It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. 0 ?$ |- W# R3 `* o/ H8 e7 a9 g
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She 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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) R" u- W, `! j"This is something we can improve on." # l8 Z- t- J5 m* y
* {3 J4 Q, B$ `' |* gDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study. 8 v2 Q5 j$ N' w3 `
; |$ m2 O/ [/ }# l"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. : T# ~* ~; Q# C# z3 j- H
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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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8 u1 v7 W- i" G R K0 \% i"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. & F. h& k0 C5 @0 E
# v5 r$ G! w u+ X" V* ]"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." * h+ \9 S: W8 y" P* U
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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. ; V/ P6 k! [4 v6 O0 ]3 X
; n# H4 F7 J2 F& p3 FStory from BBC NEWS:/ B! r6 J9 ]7 K+ [: `; L2 m
* H# s3 \/ i8 x5 H8 x[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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