鲜花( 0) 鸡蛋( 0)
|
ZT
) m# T- K' [) x4 C; L说汉语者使用大脑更多部分' g2 z. b" k0 B9 ^$ C- q* P6 Q' i9 S
2 [7 P; A6 U0 [1 f! M
9 B5 {/ D( R/ T" i/ n1 [说汉语普通话者讲话时同时使用大脑两边 + l* N: j O4 b ]7 n
* _8 H- Z1 |( y
, q; i t2 L* p; U3 {, e) V& f% U }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。
4 U( [4 I: b' O4 F$ m2 ]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。
6 [; {7 Y. t& ^% x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。 " P9 B) d8 {( |. 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。
7 a" ]2 L j# u* Q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。
/ m% I. T% b4 _7 o8 J9 i/ `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。
, k0 W5 _* q. ^/ i+ ]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。
0 V' y! _$ H/ ^+ U9 P: [5 j
" V! z1 U* [; H- Z4 h
: F7 C: G" O# B; FChinese 'takes more brainpower' 1 y7 m% i. Q7 I
! L1 G4 j+ ~- M' {Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. + Z/ f7 Y: Q4 [# G
Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. ! \+ W7 r7 l7 j
2 Y. Q% X5 U; v6 n, X6 _This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain.
! |# i: P" q0 p1 n8 q
6 u- N7 _: j4 Z' L5 NThe researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages.
" G& a' ]$ W7 Q( i( t3 }: s/ Q* ^8 r; k
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. $ y& a) W7 }1 s6 L
- m* H/ t% u( a1 ~% V6 [' W" zBrain scans
& P% V) d5 k0 ?1 P5 H. ^. y! c+ q; d+ \5 v' I6 ^
Dr Sophie Scott and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust carried out brain scans on a group of Mandarin and English speakers. 3 U& x% i) k) N' { |, C! R
) I" ^0 e$ Z- DThey found that the left temporal lobe, which is located by the left temple, becomes active when English speakers hear English. 9 T& C( }: D- T0 ~" l, D9 R9 i
! z W; v+ \+ |
9 C) X! j: ]$ t WThe researchers believe that this area of the brain links speech sounds together to form individual words. ! |2 P+ h, u# y) L* w) H9 S
- Y% c; Y* l4 ^
They expected similar findings when they carried out scans on Mandarin speakers. & x/ t# ~! I1 Q; ?; O5 F& u0 Q
7 v! {! F& Z0 _- e4 B
However, they found that both their left and right temporal lobes become active when they hear Mandarin. ; C( o' Z& i# W! c3 u D( N3 `& P
o1 n0 d7 Z" Y1 R: p e4 S% Z
"People who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways," said Dr Scott.
/ q) `# d) q+ f, v, ?5 a: p: B S0 A" t( R3 v% A% D7 g
"It overturned some long-held theories." # G! f0 ]: t: y7 L. l1 n5 I( f
: d; Z$ R0 Z& F+ f$ _Mandarin is a notoriously difficult language to learn. Unlike English, speakers use intonation to distinguish between completely different meanings of particular words. ; @% b% _! q& Y. |
; y" G4 G- T( m" ?' q2 j$ ]) JFor instance, the word "ma" can mean mother, scold, horse or hemp depending on how it is said. % P% H# E- T, n$ D3 G
" x, v) R* o4 L, ^1 [
The researchers believe that this need to interpret intonation is why Mandarin speakers need to use both sides of their brain.
9 i# C; I0 V* G$ h" o$ A2 f f( r$ c
- R8 l# ?8 Q+ B7 L& e4 a: W% BThe right temporal lobe is normally associated with being able to process music or tones.
3 i! W3 N- h( n2 B; y( B2 W
- l; b. C9 v% w+ @4 |; v* G6 C. y! J"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. " J( n k% O( }+ @ W% `3 @* j
6 v8 r7 l( k# A( o4 x
"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech.
9 }% y0 u9 T& Q0 [8 H# y, L; V& d% C) Q6 u/ L7 z4 m
"Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin."
2 y. T9 g& ]( U
7 c! T3 E9 S2 P) k: E+ tLearning languages
6 B: ^# [. k! z
4 I m( X' J a6 U5 O) ZDr Scott said the findings could help scientists to understand how the brain learns language. 2 j8 P+ n% P5 O H4 `# {. o- |
6 u9 ^+ L$ [4 k$ ^/ Y( Y
It could be particularly useful in trying to understand how it re-learns language after a stroke.
, V1 G1 N. d6 w# L
- i+ ]) e% w! l! b, nShe suggested it could also lead to new drugs to help people who have lost their language skills.
3 X# h3 {: W- w% i4 f \
: F* a" S- `9 @8 {"There is evidence from other studies that certain drugs affect learning in the brain regions that support hearing and speech," she said.
1 s$ G: y* J2 g n9 h. S0 `0 a1 I3 z
"This is something we can improve on." & s1 M! w5 l3 x, S8 X
6 Q9 i5 c) K ^$ A% u$ L7 qDr William Marslen-Wilson, of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University, welcomed the study.
, p* m& I+ L! \, e! k" ]" _- Y Q; R1 o' g% ]4 j: x) B: B
"It is an interesting finding," he told BBC News Online. 3 E& E: G) w3 s
( t. ^" P+ l; |% m. ]' [! H
"Looking at languages that are very different from each other helps us to understand how the brain processes language.
, _3 @! B/ i. Z/ A& o- ], F5 `* h$ N' ]2 V0 K. ]2 W" ]
"It can also help us to understand language rehabilitation," he said. ! `4 i# M0 @* H1 V R& n1 m
# T! Z5 n0 k9 E, a, q1 R"This field is really opening up but it is very early days." % \3 X: b1 S* g: z, A9 h5 n+ h
9 d! s5 `# G1 S: S/ _' {6 H1 hThe findings will be included in the summer science exhibition at the Royal Society in London, which runs from 1 to 3 July. , k# Y) N5 h# I& V" U' w, ^5 I
2 P3 |. c0 w' `9 m; y+ H$ E1 LStory from BBC NEWS:
/ M" c7 X; Z8 C# M7 p+ T% _) Y) [& h, z# t+ q# _3 q0 N! v6 ^( H
[ Last edited by victorw on 2005-2-24 at 06:22 PM ] |
|