Newsletter No. 534

08 # 5 3 4 | 1 9 . 0 3 . 2 0 1 9 口 談 實 錄 / V iva V oce 黃俊文教授 Prof. Patrick Wong Photo by ISO Staff 能否簡介一下你的獲獎研究「多巴胺相關基因與語 言學習」？ 不同的大腦神經網絡管控着不同的語言成分—例如 音韻、語法、語意—的處理和學習功能。各種基因經 這些網絡表現出來，調節網絡內擔當信使的神經遞 質。這些我們假設與神經遞質多巴胺有關的基因，因 此和語言息息相關。我們正在從語言學習者身上收集 數據，分析他們的基因資料，以驗證該假設。 研究將帶來甚麼實際影響？ 語言障礙影響大約8%的人口。此項研究有望建立語 言障礙的神經遺傳學基礎，最終制定一套以生物學 為基的測試，更客觀的診斷語言障礙，與現時通用的 行為評估法互為補足。 怎樣結緣語言學？ 我自小對各國語言很着迷，喜歡分析它們怎樣演化至 今天的模樣。語言學是對語言的系統研究，能讓我滿 足好奇，並了解語言和人體生理構造的關聯。 你會說多少種語言？ 只有中文和英文。但由於所有主修語言學的學生都必 須修幾門外語，所以我曾學過德文、法文和拉丁文。 請詮釋一下大腦與認知研究所強調「從分子到行為」 的研究取向。 語言和認知是能從行為上觀察和測量的現象。這些行 為與大腦相連，而大腦功能由基因調控。研究所是以 致力從基因分子到行為的層面，研究語言和認知障 礙，希望更全面的探個究竟。 研究所為何着力研究華人社會的自閉症？ 人類許多行為都受文化局限，眼神接觸和注視便是一 例。研究指出，東亞人和北美人面對同一幅圖畫，注 視的方式並不一樣。東亞人傾向既看前景也看背景， 而歐裔北美人會將大部分注意力放在前景，往往是臉 部。 自閉症的特徵之一是社交障礙，眼神接觸微弱或缺少 是指標之一，但這觀察是由研究歐裔人而來。如果眼 神接觸等特徵會因文化而異，那麼評估不同地域的人 就應慎重衡量這些特徵。 你是語言障礙及音樂失認症方面的專家。二者關係 如何？ 世上大多數語言都屬口語。口語關乎聽覺，需要調動 大腦負責聽覺的部位。音樂顯然也關乎聽覺。因此兩 者首要的關聯是都用上聽覺神經系統。其次，兩者都 受規則、語法約束。我們許多研究都在探討，如果某 人在語言或音樂其中一方面有障礙，另一方面會否同 樣受影響。 你可有語言學家的職業習慣，例如暗中分析和你傾 談的人？ 我常常留意別人說話的發音而非內容。我會從對方的 口音猜測他們來自哪裏、幾歲開始學外語。有時會太 入迷以致跟不上他們究竟想要告訴我些甚麼。 研究資助局「人文學及社會科學傑出學者獎」得主談語言的基因、華人社會的自閉症， 以及他對口音的執着。 The recipient of the Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship from the Research Grants Council talked to CUHK Newsletter on the genes of language, autism in the Chinese context, and his obsession with accents. Could you tell us in layman’s terms about your award-winning research project—dopamine-related genes and language learning? Different brain networks are responsible for the processing and learning of different components of language, e.g., sound pattern, grammar, meaning. Different genes are expressed in these networks or they regulate the neurotransmitters within these brain networks. Thus, these genes, which we hypothesized are related to the neurotransmitter dopamine, are associated with language. What we are doing now is to empirically test this hypothesis by gathering data from language learners and by specifically analysing their genetic data. What impact does this research have for the real world? It provides a model for the neurogenetic basis of language disorders which affect about 8% of the population. We may ultimately develop a biologically-based, objective test for language disorders to complement the typical behavioural assessment. How did you get into linguistics? Ever since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by different languages. I liked to analyse languages and understand how they become what they are. Linguistics is the scientific study of language, and it gives me the opportunity to learn more about languages and how language is associated with our biological makeups. How many languages do you speak? Just Chinese and English. But all linguistics majors have to learn a number of different languages, so I did learn German, French and Latin. BMI emphasizes the ‘from molecule to behaviour’ approach to research. Please elaborate. Language and cognition are phenomena that we can observe and measure behaviourally. These behaviours are linked to our brain, and brain functions are regulated by genes. At the BMI, we are interested in studying language and cognitive disorders across this spectrum—from DNA molecule to behaviour—so that we can understand them most comprehensively. Why has BMI been focusing on studying autism in the Chinese context? Many of our behaviours are culture-bound. Eye contact and gaze is one example. Research suggests that East Asians and North Americans, when presented with the same picture, do not look at it the same way. East Asians tend to balance looking at the background and foreground while people of European descent in North America would pay more attention to the foreground, which in a lot of the cases is the face. One characteristic of autism is impairment in social interaction including poor quality or lower frequency of eye contact. But that is a conclusion drawn from research on European subjects. If eye contact and gaze or other traits differ across cultures, we should consider carefully how these traits should be evaluated when working with individuals from different cultures. You’re an expert in both language and music disorders. How are the two related? The vast majority of languages in the world are spoken languages. They are auditory and require us to use the parts of our brain that are responsible for hearing. Music is obviously also auditory. So the two are related first because they use the auditory neural system. The two are also governed by rules or grammar. In a lot of our studies, we try to understand whether someone who has a disorder in one domain—language or music—would also have a disorder in the other. As a linguist, do you have the habit of analysing your interlocutors? Oftentimes, I pay attention to the sound pattern of someone’s speech rather than its content. For example, I would like to know from their accents where they are from and the age at which they acquire a second language. Sometimes I even lose track of what they are trying to tell me. Christine N. 語言學及現代語言系  Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages 何鴻燊認知神經科學講座教授  Stanley Ho Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience 大腦與認知研究所所長  Director of Brain and Mind Institute (BMI)