structures, intonation patterns and rules
of a second language as intuitively as
they did their mother tongue.”
In contrast, adults must learn by
memory and then translate from their
mother tongue. Any parent who’s
watched their preschooler learn
Chinese will attest to the difficulty
of learning Chinese as an adult. It’s
immensely challenging and adults
are reliant on their memories to recall
complex Chinese characters.
For those with children over the
age of seven, all is not lost, albeit
their learning will be slower and their
articulation less convincing than a
younger sibling. Anita explains, “Older
learners lose the ability to hear and
accurately reproduce new sounds by
age 8-12 years and tend to have an
‘accent’. Younger learners benefit from
flexible ear and speech muscles that
can still hear the critical differences
between the sounds of a second
language, as well as reproduce them
with native-like quality.”
Cathy Zhang, head of Chinese
learning at Chinese International School,
agrees there are many tangible benefits
of learning Chinese, “A lot of research
finds that learning another language
changes a child’s brain, they are more
flexible and smarter in many ways.” She
continues, “Learning Chinese is both
challenging and fun for a child. It opens
a door to understand Chinese people
and culture.”
The reality of learning chinese
Learning Putonghua is difficult, that
much we’ve established. Experts like
Anita tell us that to see success it
really comes down to the old saying,
practice makes perfect. Anita shares
her expertise, “The key to learning
any language - not just Putonghua - is
constant practice, and an environment
that immerses the child in the language.
Parents must be dedicated to providing
a Mandarin language environment. To
learn a language, you must practice it,
you must converse with others.”
Cathy has some practical advice for
non-Chinese speaking parents who
are looking to support their child as
they learn Chinese. She encourages
parents to build a regular study habit
and commit to the long-game of
learning a language, “Be aware that
it is a long-term commitment to the
program. Be patient with your child’s
learning pace and progress.” She also
notes encouragement is key and that
parents should look to the plethora
of learning tools available, “Make the
best use of learning tools to support
Chinese language learning such as
quizlet, Pleco, Pinyin or Zhuyin. There
are also resources such as animated
books, podcast, movies, or Chinese
readers that will be recommended by
the school.”
Extracurricular activities like learning
a sport or playing an instrument,
and even play dates in Chinese, are
a great way for young students to
practice. Luckily here in Hong Kong
there are activities such as these held
in Mandarin. Anita also has some
suggestions for at home activities,
“Providing songs, cartoons, and books
in Putonghua is a good way for non-
speaking parents to support learning
at home.”
She also warns parents not to fall
into the common trap of believing their
children don’t know Putonghua, or are
not learning enough, because they
won’t speak Chinese to them. “The
truth is, they will not speak with you
even though they understand, simply
because they feel more confident and
comfortable speaking the language
you always have been using to
communicate. To better understand
your child’s language level, speak to
their teachers, as most likely your child
will be willing to speak with them freely
in Mandarin.”
Mandarin’s role in the modern
career
China is the world’s second-largest
economy and it’s set to outpace the
US before long. As China expands it
will offer even more opportunities for
future employment. The possibilities
are immense, not just in trade but in
fields that include medicine, education,
technology and beyond. Having a
Mandarin education and a level of
professional fluency provides young
students, and in turn young adults,
seeking careers a huge advantage.
Anita enthuses, “Any person who
is multi-lingual is more likely to be
a valuable asset to employers who
are looking for individuals who can
bridge language and culture gaps, and
extend the reach of the company into
global markets.” She speaks about the
professional opportunities for Mandarin-
speakers, “From working directly and
comfortably with people in a given
region, to tailoring products, services,
and communications to that region,
individuals who are multi-lingual are a
huge asset. And the more fluent you are,
the more value you bring to the table.”
Next month, Rebecca will take a more in
depth look at ways to learn Mandarin.
English
Cantonese Putonghua
Hello
nei5 hou2 nǐ hǎo
Thank you
ng4 goi1 /
do1 ze6 xièxie
My name
is...
ngo5 giu3 wǒ jiào
Sorry
deoi3 ng4
zyu6
duìbuqǐ
I don’t
understand
ngo5 ng4
ming4
wǒ bù
míngbai
TALK LIKE A LOCAL
November 2016
71
