soon find there’s multiple terms used
when referring to Chinese languages.
That’s because there’s more than one
Chinese language and each is referred to
simply as Chinese. Here in Hong Kong
we speak Cantonese. This is a different
language to what is spoken in most of
Mainland China. In Mainland China, the
primary language is Putonghua, also
known as Mandarin.
While Putonghua/Mandarin and
Cantonese are both Chinese languages,
they are distinctly different and a
fluency in one does not correlate to
a fluency in another. It’s important
to note that here in local Hong Kong
schools, the curriculum is taught in
Cantonese and Putonghua is taught
as a separate language to study. While
a lot of Cantonese-speaking students
will also have some level of proficiency
in Putonghua, this is because they
have formally studied the language, not
because one relates to the other.
Anita Shum, founder of Mini
Mandarins Learning Centre says,
“Putonghua is the most spoken
language in the world. As a parent, if
you are choosing a language to add
to your child’s skill set, you will likely
want to choose a language that is
widely spoken, and that offers benefits
both socially and economically.” Anita
believes that beyond the immense
communication potential of speaking
Putonghua, learning this Chinese
language can give a child opportunities
in China’s business world, “For
example, with China being both an
important exporter and importer of
global goods, people who speak
Putonghua will be in a better position
to participate in business opportunities
with China.” She continues, “Many
international schools also recognise
this, and place great emphasis on
Putonghua in their curriculum.”
The benefits of learning a
language
Ideally, it’s best for a child to begin to
learn a new language before the age
of seven, according to Anita, “Learning
a second language at a young age is
cognitively as easy as learning a first
language. Before seven-years-old
children can acquire native-like fluency,
in contrast to an adult language learner.”
That’s comforting for parents of children
who have only been exposed to a single
language to date. Anita explains, “They
learn naturally, absorbing the sounds,
Spoken
Written
China Putonghua Simplified
Characters
Hong
Kong Cantonese Traditional
Characters
November 2016
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