A report published recently in the Proceedings for the National Academy of Science, has shown that speakers of tonal languages use more areas of the brain than speakers of non-tonal languages.
The study compared images of brain activity among speakers of Mandarin and English and revealed that while activity was shown in the left hemisphere for all languages, the brains of Mandarin speakers also saw activity in the right hemisphere.
Moreover, the right-hemisphere activity seen in speakers of tonal languages was in a region specifically associated with our ability to process music, pitch and tone.
According to Gang Peng, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, this means that speakers of tonal languages such as Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Thai, are more likely to be pitch-perfect.
Source: Quartz
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Keywords: Study Shows that Chinese Speakers Use Their Brains Differently to English Speakers
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'means that speakers of tonal languages such as Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Thai, are more likely to be pitch-perfect.' Robots can be pitch perfect. Swan Lake was composed by a human.
Mar 04, 2015 12:06 Report Abuse
Contrary to some comments here I do not think it's oversimplified. The style of presentation should always fit the audience. After reading the first 8 comments so I am even a bit afraid the topic was put forward in too challenging a way for majority of these contributors ... The fact described in the article is known for quite a while already and investigated in many institutes and universities around the world (including US and UK). The point is not to just point out this fact but to understand better the brain functioning with certain linguistics, sociological and medical implications. Such popular articles serves the widest audience and by quoting the original sources allow the interested parties to investigate further.
Mar 04, 2015 09:51 Report Abuse
Hard evidence: magnetic field readings show a planet potentially within the habitable zone of a solar system with no more info. Press version: A New Earth Discovered. To you, is this press example: A - A scientific presentation B - Biased sensationalism or C - But we need to simplify so we can cater to dumb audiences, it's not a problem, after all it's just a viable interpretation and people are too stupid to read legit stuff (Several choices possible)
Mar 04, 2015 10:24 Report Abuse
I just say that this article is quite 'innocent' and that what the majority of the first 8 commentators criticized was not the quality of the article as such. I am not surprised anymore by so many nonsense chauvinistic remarks as it looks to be a standard for certain contributors but I am still shocked - shame on me - I shall learn faster. What concern of the topic you mentioned so there are different media which will post the article in different level. The reason is that they target different audience. Without certain simplification majority of the population is not willing and even able to read about the latest scientific achievements. Of course certain media simplify too much and even try to use 'shocking' way of presentation. You may select not to read such but even these apparently find broad audience and therefore each country has own newspapers like for instance Sun in UK. But this article is not going in this direction - it's just a pure simple information. What's wrong with it?
Mar 04, 2015 12:25 Report Abuse
As I said - what's wrong with the article was summarized in the example I mentioned above. It's not science, it's not facts, it's preliminary-grade research manipulated into a lullaby. As for the classic "The-west-does-it-so-see-it's-okay" angle, I think this is equally garbage practice anywhere for any subject and you'll hear me call it out at every single instance I care to do so. The popularity of the lowest common denominator doesn't make anything right.
Mar 04, 2015 13:13 Report Abuse
OK - so the article is simply not aimed at you - why to border reading it then when it just annoys you?
Mar 06, 2015 10:28 Report Abuse
What an oversimplified, partial, unscientific and undetailed piece of crap. The raw information delivered is what I'd call preliminary at best, with the rhetorical honesty of a political poll. Though usually political polls try to at least deliver a hint at their methodology. WHatever, I've got breaking news for you: English, along with some other popular Foreignistan babbles like Spanish, is a fucking tonal language too as far as brain mechanics are concerned. Mindblown already? Well for more trivia, maybe consider hiring a linguist along with your MRI technicians and PR guy.
Mar 04, 2015 09:04 Report Abuse
To this I will add that: being myself a fluent Mandarin and Cantonese speaker, in my experience, the everyday oral communication do not use up any more or less brain power in any noticeable way. Nor does it give me a better ear or sensitivity at anything, like music as a worn-out stereotype would claim. Anyone who knows anything on music theory can understand how language tones have nothing to do with rhythms and pitches. It's just A language with A mechanic that's not easier nor more difficult than any other modern language.
Mar 04, 2015 09:17 Report Abuse
Ah, funny but they fail to mention this: Sure it may use up both sides of the brain but the right hemisphere is used for things like creativity, arts and music (many of these countries lack in general creativity however). Having a better developed left side of the brain means being able to tackle problems, use logic and innovate science. This is proven when you look at languages of such place like: North America, Britain, Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, France etc. (All non-tonal) Tonal languages - No country that have created anything recently worth really noting... So which is really better?
Mar 03, 2015 23:00 Report Abuse
So... can Chinese people use this as an excuse for retarded behaviour? "I was too busy using both hemispheres of my brain for speaking, so I couldn't use it for anything else."
Mar 03, 2015 21:02 Report Abuse
It's interesting. Perhaps this is one of the reasons I find learning tonal languages so difficult. People that are musical probably learn chinese faster
Mar 03, 2015 20:13 Report Abuse
In my studies, English speakers have brains, Mandarin speakers don't. What a ridiculous study. Although it has just proved my point as it was conducted by Mandarin speakers!
Mar 03, 2015 20:01 Report Abuse
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