A recent study from the University of California San Diego reveals that young children between the ages of 3 and 5 can improve their musical abilities, especially in understanding musical pitches (音高) , when learning Mandarin, compared to those who speak English.
This research challenges the idea that our mental abilities are entirely separate from each other. It suggests that the skills children learn in one area can influence their learning in another. This raises—questions about how our mental abilities relate to each other.
The study involved two experiments with similar groups of Mandarin and English learners, totaling 180 children. They were tested on tasks related to pitch (high or low notes)and timbre (音色) (the quality of sound). Both groups performed similarly on the task related to timbre. However, Mandarin speakers performed better than English speakers on tasks related to pitch.
Mandarin is a tonal language, which means the tone (音调) used when saying a word can change its meaning, not just add emphasis. For example, the Mandarin word "ma" can mean "mother, " "horse, " "hem (麻), " or "scold, " depending on how it's spoken. This focus on pitch helps young Mandarin speakers understand musical pitches better. Since both language and music involve changes in pitch, the study aimed to find out if understanding pitch in language is different from understanding it in music. The results suggest that experience with understanding musical pitches can also help in understanding language pitches, and vice versa.
While learning Mandarin might offer an advantage due to its tonal nature, it's important to note that the study doesn't suggest replacing music lessons with language lessons or the other way around. Learning another language has many benefits, and music education remains important for musical skills.
In summary, this is an extremely valuable research, highlighting the connections between cognitive (认知的) skills and emphasizes the value of exposing children to different languages and providing them with musical education for their overall development.
