標題: 揭秘學不好外語的真正原因：原來不是不努力 [列印本頁] 作者: ccc6 時間: 2016-3-6 20:02 標題: 揭秘學不好外語的真正原因：原來不是不努力 People who struggle to learn foreign languages may simply have brains that are not wired to retain linguistic skills, a new study suggests.
最新研究表明，學外語比較吃力的人，可能僅僅是因為大腦機制之間缺乏連貫，難以保持語言技能。
Learning a second language is far easier for some adults than others because of innate differences in how the various parts of the brain "talk" to one another.
The difference is so striking that researchers can even predict who will succeed in language skills, and who will fail, simply based on brain scans.
這種差異非常明顯，以致於研究人員只需通過腦部掃描，就能判斷誰適合學外語，誰不適合。
It is all to do with how well language centres of the brain communicate when resting. Most learning occurs when the brain is at rest, which is why sleep is so important.
Scientists at McGill University in Canada found that if left anterior operculum and the left superior temporal gyrus communicate more with each other at rest, then language learning is easier.
"These findings have implications for predicting language learning success and failure," said study author Dr Xiaoqian Chai.
「這些發現為預測語言學習的成敗提供了線索，」研究報告作者柴小千（音譯）博士說道。
For the study, researchers scanned the brains of 15 adult English speakers who were about to begin an intensive 12-week French course, and then tested their language abilities both before and after the course.
Participants with stronger connections between the left anterior operculum and an important region of the brain's language network called the left superior temporal gyrus showed greater improvement in the speaking test.
However, that doesn't mean success at a second language is entirely predetermined by the brain's wiring.
然而，這並不意味著外語學習的成功與否完全取決於大腦各部分之間的聯繫。
"The brain is very plastic, meaning that it can be shaped by learning and experience," added Dr Chai.
「大腦的可塑性十分強，會受到學習與實踐的影響，」柴博士補充說。
"The study is a first step to understanding individual differences in second language learning. In the long term it might help us to develop better methods for helping people to learn better."
「這項研究是我們了解個體差異對外語學習的影響的第一步。從長遠來看，它將會有助於我們尋找更合適的方法來幫助人們更好地學習語言。」
Dr Arturo Hernandez, a neuroscientist at the University of Houston who studies second-language learning and was not involved in the study, said: "The most interesting part of this finding is that the connectivity between the different areas was observed before learning."