多语言的梦与语言学习的联系

关于睡眠状态下的人类大脑活动仍有许多待我们研究的地方，不过梦也许能给我们提供一些相关线索。本文探讨大脑学习外语的方式及梦里用外语交流对语言学习有何意义。

词汇：language learning 语言学习

It is often said that if we dream in a foreign language, it's a sign that we are making progress in learning that language. But is it true?

人们常说，如果我们用外语做梦，这表明我们在学习这门语言方面取得了进步。但这是真的吗?

Before we can look at multilingual dreams, first we need to look at sleep. The link between sleep and language can be applied to how we learn any language, including our mother tongue. Even adults still learn about one new word every two days in their first language, but, if we are going to have a firm grasp of that new word, we need to link it to our existing knowledge. And in order to do that, we 'need to have some sleep', says Gareth Gaskell, a psychology professor at the University of York.

在我们研究多语言梦之前，首先我们需要看看睡眠。睡眠和语言之间的联系可以应用于我们如何学习任何语言，包括我们的母语。即使是成年人，每两天也要用母语学习一个新单词，但是，如果我们要牢牢掌握这个新词，我们需要把它和我们现有的知识联系起来。约克大学的心理学教授加雷思·盖斯凯尔说，为了做到这一点，我们“需要一些睡眠”。

It's during sleep that the integration of old and new knowledge happens. At night, one part of our brain – the hippocampus – takes whatever new information it soaked up in the day, and passes it on to other parts of the brain to be stored. The role that dreams play in this night-time learning process is still being studied, but 'it's entirely possible that during multilingual dreams, the brain is trying to connect two languages', says Marc Züst, researcher at the University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in Bern, Switzerland.

正是在睡眠期间，新旧知识的整合发生了。晚上，我们大脑的一部分——海马体——接收白天吸收的任何新信息，并将其传递给大脑的其他部分进行存储。瑞士伯尔尼老年精神病学和心理治疗大学医院的研究员Marc Züst表示，梦在夜间学习过程中所起的作用仍在研究中，但“完全有可能在做多语言梦时，大脑试图将两种语言联系起来”。

So having multilingual dreams could mean that our brain is trying to master a new word or phrase, for example, but it could also have an emotional significance. Danuta Gabryś-Barker, a professor of psycholinguistics at the University of Silesia in Poland, suggests that multilingual dreams can express 'fears and desires' around learning a foreign language, including the wish to be a native-like speaker or to be accepted within a certain community.

因此，做多语言的梦可能意味着我们的大脑正在努力掌握一个新单词或短语，但它也可能具有情感意义。波兰西里西亚大学(University of Silesia)的心理语言学教授Danuta Gabryś-Barker认为，多语言梦可以表达人们对学习外语的“恐惧和渴望”，包括希望能像母语人士一样说外语，或者被某个社区所接受。

We clearly still have a lot to learn about multilingual dreams, but one thing seems certain: if you're trying to learn a new language, you should definitely sleep on it.

关于多语言梦，我们显然还有很多要学，但有一件事是肯定的:如果你想学一门新语言，你绝对应该睡一觉。

词汇表

make progress 进步
multilingual 使用多种语言的
apply to 适用
mother tongue 母语
firm grasp of 牢牢掌握
existing knowledge 已有知识
integration 融合
hippocampus 海马体
soak up 吸收（信息）
store 储存
learning process 学习过程
master 学习，掌握
significance 重要意义
psycholinguistics 心理语言学
express 表达
desire 渴望，愿望
native-like 像母语人士一样的，地道的
sleep on it “睡一觉再考虑”，考虑清楚再决定

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. How often do adults learn a new word in their mother tongue?

2. What needs to happen if we are going to have a firm grasp of a new word?

3. True or False? Integration of old and new knowledge happens when we're asleep.

4. What does Marc Züst think is happening during multilingual dreams?

5. Could multilingual dreams tell us something about our emotions?

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. The skills you learn in this job, you will be able to _______ future jobs, too.

link                                   apply to                     soak up                     store

2. Can you help me understand this sentence? I don't have a _______ it yet.

mother tongue                 firm grasp of              integration                 learning process

3. It's not a good idea to only _______ your work locally on your computer. Try to have a backup as well.

soak up                            store                          master                       express

4. How long did it take you to _______ the piano? You play beautifully.  

make progress                 link                             firm grasp of              master                        

5. Words can't _______ how excited I am!

multilingual                      mother tongue            express                      native-like

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。 

1. How often do adults learn a new word in their mother tongue?
Adults learn about one new word every two days in their first language.

2. What needs to happen if we are going to have a firm grasp of a new word?
To have a firm grasp of a new word, we need to link it to our existing knowledge.

3. True or False? Integration of old and new knowledge happens when we're asleep.
True. It's during sleep that the hippocampus passes new information on to other parts of the brain to be stored.

4. What does Marc Züst think is happening during multilingual dreams?
Marc Züst thinks that it's possible the brain is trying to connect two languages during multilingual dreams.

5. Could multilingual dreams tell us something about our emotions?
Yes. Danuta Gabryś-Barker suggests that multilingual dreams can express 'fears and desires' around learning a foreign language.

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. The skills you learn in this job, you will be able to apply to future jobs, too.

2. Can you help me understand this sentence? I don't have a firm grasp of it yet.

3. It's not a good idea to only store your work locally on your computer. Try to have a backup as well.

4. How long did it take you to master the piano? You play beautifully.  

5. Words can't express how excited I am!

文章来源BBC，侵权删，本文仅用于英语学习。