Originally Posted by
Skyman65
People who have some vocal musical talent seem to do much better learning to speak Chinese well. The ability to control your voice in singing seems to have a crossover benefit to learning to speak in tones.
When I said my son had a good "ear" I was referring to another sort of perhaps related talent. He's an incredible mimic. His French teacher said he spoke French like a Frenchman. His friends on campus often ask him to mimic being an Aussie, Italian, Russian, etc. and ask people questions. He once talked to a Russian student while mimicking and the kid thought he was Russian! This abillity has helped him a lot with speaking and listening.
In regard to reading/writing Chinese, if you are a visual learner, you will have a great advantage in learning to read and write Chinese....If you happen to fall into the "Visual" camp, you may find that Chinese characters are easier for you to learn than for other people. I am rather good at remembering visual patterns, and so Chinese characters came relatively easy to me--after countless hours with flashcards.
My son's teachers say his calligraphy is very good (he's said to have good, strong strokes). He has some drawing ability (cartoons mostly but also some portraits) and very nice penmanship. He also has a nearly-photographic memory. I think these traits have helped him quite a bit with reading and writing Chinese. Oh, and he spends countless hours with flashcards as well.
