Chen Yiping, Fu Shimin, Iversen Susan D, Smith Steve M, Matthews Paul M
University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
J Cogn Neurosci. 2002 Oct 1;14(7):1088-98. doi: 10.1162/089892902320474535.
Chinese offers a unique tool for testing the effects of word form on language processing during reading. The processes of letter-mediated grapheme-to-phoneme translation and phonemic assembly (assembled phonology) critical for reading and spelling in any alphabetic orthography are largely absent when reading nonalphabetic Chinese characters. In contrast, script-to-sound translation based on the script as a whole (addressed phonology) is absent when reading the Chinese alphabetic sound symbols known as pinyin, for which the script-to-sound translation is based exclusively on assembled phonology. The present study aims to contrast patterns of brain activity associated with the different cognitive mechanisms needed for reading the two scripts. fMRI was used with a block design involving a phonological and lexical task in which subjects were asked to decide whether visually presented, paired Chinese characters or pinyin "sounded like" a word. Results demonstrate that reading Chinese characters and pinyin activate a common brain network including the inferior frontal, middle, and inferior temporal gyri, the inferior and superior parietal lobules, and the extrastriate areas. However, some regions show relatively greater activation for either pinyin or Chinese reading. Reading pinyin led to a greater activation in the inferior parietal cortex bilaterally, the precuneus, and the anterior middle temporal gyrus. In contrast, activation in the left fusiform gyrus, the bilateral cuneus, the posterior middle temporal, the right inferior frontal gyrus, and the bilateral superior frontal gyrus were greater for nonalphabetic Chinese reading. We conclude that both alphabetic and nonalphabetic scripts activate a common brain network for reading. Overall, there are no differences in terms of hemispheric specialization between alphabetic and nonalphabetic scripts. However, differences in language surface form appear to determine relative activation in other regions. Some of these regions (e.g., the inferior parietal cortex for pinyin and fusiform gyrus for Chinese characters) are candidate regions for specialized processes associated with reading via predominantly assembled (pinyin) or addressed (Chinese character) procedures.
中文为测试单词形式对阅读过程中语言处理的影响提供了一个独特的工具。在阅读非字母形式的汉字时，对于任何字母文字拼写和阅读至关重要的字母介导的字形到音素转换和音素组合（组合音系学）过程在很大程度上并不存在。相反，在阅读被称为拼音的汉语字母语音符号时，基于整个文字的文字到语音转换（定位音系学）并不存在，对于拼音来说，文字到语音的转换完全基于组合音系学。本研究旨在对比与阅读这两种文字所需的不同认知机制相关的大脑活动模式。功能磁共振成像（fMRI）采用了一种组块设计，涉及一项语音和词汇任务，在该任务中，要求受试者判断视觉呈现的成对汉字或拼音是否“听起来像”一个单词。结果表明，阅读汉字和拼音会激活一个共同的脑网络，包括额下回、颞中回和颞下回、顶下小叶和顶上小叶以及纹外区。然而，一些区域在拼音或中文阅读中表现出相对更强的激活。阅读拼音会导致双侧顶下皮质、楔前叶和颞中回前部的激活更强。相比之下；对于非字母形式的中文阅读，左侧梭状回、双侧楔叶、颞中回后部、右侧额下回和双侧额上回的激活更强。我们得出结论，字母文字和非字母文字在阅读时都会激活一个共同的脑网络。总体而言，字母文字和非字母文字在半球特化方面没有差异。然而，语言表面形式的差异似乎决定了其他区域的相对激活。其中一些区域（例如，拼音对应的顶下皮质和汉字对应的梭状回）是与通过主要的组合（拼音）或定位（汉字）程序进行阅读相关的专门过程的候选区域。
