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说汉语者使用大脑更多部分7 U+ E. R5 P! s* j2 o4 S) C% @
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% d |2 }! j2 W4 G& i7 h说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 & q; g i# ~* G
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5 h( @" \5 V. @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。
: u9 ?! y8 u# O6 t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/ y# D, l6 z1 d; v6 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。
k. F' M7 x. W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。 8 n8 w2 w! M/ }$ ?8 _
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。 , c/ [. B( V3 O9 t0 ?' V8 [
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。 - K- h& @, u+ c/ F! Y) L' g' j
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。1 v* [4 B( @+ ~
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3 [/ b9 S8 ]7 L. g/ z; r/ Y0 b/ J3 VChinese 'takes more brainpower'
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Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. 7 j U* s5 T, `# X( u# t3 ~
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language.
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' s0 y/ Y$ B6 ~. D! CThis 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. , p, u" B6 ?$ Q$ b' B
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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. ' K. N" x6 P# p
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Brain scans : n, C% s- X3 l3 _' c1 _
. G$ }5 C3 J0 M* v5 V7 Q! ~: HDr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. 1 T; j" {% m% U! N
* g: n n% S1 d+ q3 @2 V0 _They found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English.
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The researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. ' _4 V5 f8 f( c* D' t! X- A
3 h/ Z: ~) T; e1 GThey expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. $ P @4 q! O% C
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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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) q# j& V4 i" L0 P+ X7 F1 s"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott. 5 U$ u- ^5 V; B1 h1 J
- p+ O! E! Y- u$ D; O"It overturned some long-held theories." 1 h6 G# W, o4 ?9 w3 u% L. i
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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. 2 p7 A: ]% @( _& r5 I0 @
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For instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. : |! x: j7 q) ^- A1 b4 H
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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.
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4 M# v8 `" }: f/ n" M! W" x2 U" JThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones. , A- d) }, M; y
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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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"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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2 }- U) w# h* K6 b6 I5 P$ C"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin." 0 x! R4 N1 C7 Q
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Dr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language.
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It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke. 9 q2 `5 z$ j. u; ]3 V/ Q J
) | @$ Y u- j# x1 y% zShe 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. : ?0 s2 D) W0 q5 b; {! T1 b: `6 W
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"This is something we can improve on." 5 j* s- {+ Z, _3 D
; d) x% S% P( A% q3 g6 NDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
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"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.
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"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said.
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"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. 3 _! [1 d( }$ ^
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Story from BBC NEWS:
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% P- R4 c: V" I4 [$ U( I[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
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