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Do Chinese speakers use their brains differently?

Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language in which the same basic sounds can refer to totally different things based on the tone with which it is spoken. In a non-tonal language such as English, tone might convey emotional information about the speaker, but doesn’t change the meaning of the word. Researchers have found that differences between those languages change the way the brain’s networks work. 

Although both groups of speakers activated the classical brain areas responsible for speech, two important differences emerged. English speakers showed stronger connectivity leading from Wernicke’s area to Broca’s area. Because this language relies more heavily on phonological information - sounds rather than tones. Meanwhile, Chinese speakers had stronger connections leading from the anterior superior temporal gyrus, as enhanced mapping of sound and meaning is more important in tonal languages. The other difference is that among Chinese speakers, there was also activation in the right hemisphere of the brain. It shows that you have to use more of your brain to speak in tonal languages, which is very interesting.

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