关于学乐器有很多“传说”，有人认为学乐器能开发智力，有人认为学乐器能提高孩子的注意力和记忆力。最近的一项研究发现，学乐器并不能带来认知能力的普遍提高，但是确实能显著提升孩子的语言能力。

The smartest children don’t read books — they play piano, a new study has found.

一项新研究发现，最聪明的孩子不读书——他们弹钢琴。

Playing an instrument for just six months can noticeably improve a child’s linguistic¹ ability, according to the latest research.

这项最新研究显示，仅仅弹奏一件乐器六个月的时间就能显著提高孩子的语言能力。

Compared to children who read, those who have learnt to play the piano were far superior in their detection of various sounds.

与读书的孩子相比，学过钢琴的孩子在分辨各种声音方面都要出色得多。

But while the instrument can help with children’s understanding of pitch and conversation, tickling² the ivories has no affect on IQ, attention span or memory.

不过，虽然乐器可以帮助孩子理解音调和对话，但敲击琴键对智商、保持注意力集中的时间长短和记忆力没有任何影响。

Seventy-four Mandarin-speaking children aged four to six years old were assigned to one of three groups: piano training, reading training, or a no-contact control group.

在这项研究中，74名母语为汉语的4到6岁的幼童被分为三组，包括钢琴训练组、阅读训练组以及不接受训练的对照组。

提高孩子的语言能力1_英语新闻

One group received thrice-weekly 45-minute piano lessons for 6 months, one group received training in reading throughout the same period, and the third group, which acted as a control, received no training.

一组孩子每周上三次钢琴课，每次45分钟，为期六个月；另一个小组在同一时期内接受阅读训练；作为对照的第三组没有安排训练。

The study found that in just one month, children who were playing the piano outperformed the other two groups in a language test based on the sound of consonants³.

这项研究发现，在短短一个月内，在基于声母的语言测试中，弹奏钢琴的孩子的成绩超过了其他两个小组。

The children in both the piano and reading groups performed better for vowel⁴ sounds than those in the control group.

钢琴和阅读组的孩子在韵母发音方面的表现都比对照组的孩子好。

In contrast, all three groups improved equally on general cognitive⁵ measures, including tests of IQ, working memory, and attention,’ the authors write in their paper, published today in PNAS.

作者们在今天发表于美国《国家科学院学报》月刊的论文中写道：“与之相反，这三个小组在一般认知能力方面的提高程度都是一样的，包括智商、工作记忆和注意力测试方面的表现。”

提高孩子的语言能力2_英语新闻

The researchers found children who played the piano and were better at distinguishing between different words also showed a stronger response to the detection of pitch.

研究人员发现，那些弹奏钢琴并且更擅长区分不同词语的孩子对辨别音调也表现出更强的反应。

To test this, the team conducted an electroencephalography (EEG) on every child and found general improvements in sound processing ability.

为了测试这一点，研究小组对每个孩子进行了脑电图检查，发现他们的声音处理能力得到普遍提升。

This was exemplified by the amplified⁶ detection of musical pitch and lexical tone.

这体现在分辨音调和词汇语调的能力增强上。

Although playing an instrument is not a shortcut⁷ to improved intelligence, early music training could prove to be better for the development of brain regions implicated⁸ in processing pitch.

虽然弹奏乐器并不是提升智力的捷径，但早期音乐训练可能会被证明更有利于开发与处理音调有关联的大脑区域。