Any foreigner who has tried to learn Chinese can tell how hard it is to master the tones required to speak and understand.And anyone who has tried to learn to play the violin or other instruments can report similar challenges. Now researchers have found that people with musical training have an easier time learning Chinese.Writing in the online edition of Nature Nenroscieme, researchers from Northwestern University say that both skills draw on the same parts of the brain that help people discover changes in pitch  . One of the study's authors, Nina Kraus, said the findings suggested that studying music "actually tunes our sensory system".This means that schools that want children to do well in languages should hesitate before cutting music programs.Dr.Kraus said.She said music training might also help children with language problems. Mandarin   speakers have been shown to have a more complex encoding   of pitch patterns in their brains than English speakers do.This is because in Mandarin and other Asian languages, pitch plays a central role.A single syllable word can have several meanings depending on how it is  _ . For this study, the researchers looked at 20 non Chinese speaking volunteers, half with no musical background and half who have studied an instrument for at least six years. As they were shown a movie, the volunteers also heard an audio tape of the Mandarin word "mi" in three of its meanings: squint, bewilder and rice.The researchers recorded activities in their brain stems to see how well they were processing the sounds.Those with a music background showed much more brain activities in response to the Chinese sounds. The lead author of the study, Patrick C.M.Wong, said it might work both ways.It appear? That native speakers of tonal languages may do better at learning instruments. Why does Chinese learning have something to do with music training?
Because there is the same difficulty in learning Chinese and music. Because skills to learn the two make use of the same parts of the brain. Because music training might help people with language study. Because people who do well in Chinese study do well in music.