My 2¢: Teaching the Chinese Language/Dialect to Kids

Growing up, my siblings and I were reminded by some of our relatives every now and then to speak our Chinese dialect and be fluent with it. Truth be told, there were times that I dislike going to family gatherings or meet-ups because of this.

Not that I'm making an excuse for myself and for my siblings, but it was difficult for us to even speak a phrase or a sentence in our dialect because we were not used to speaking it. You see, we grew up under the good care of our maternal grandmother. She took great care of us while our mother was away to work oversees out of necessity. But one of the things that she wasn't able to teach us was to speak our dialect. Not because she chose not to, but she just simply can't.

Just like us, our grandmother's internal lexicon of the Hokkien (a.k.a. Amoy) words were limited. Though I don't know much of my grandmother's history, what I know was that although she had Chinese genes in her, she didn't had much opportunity to learn and study the dialect. So we ended up learning and speaking the local language.

This is typical of the majority of the succeeding generations of the Chinese diaspora. Most descendants of the Chinese immigrants tend to adopt the local language where they currently live in as their mother language - in speech and in thought - aside from the Chinese language or dialect that their parents (or even grandparents) have. This is due to the fact that every day most people whom we need to interact with were non-Chinese speakers. With our young minds, we thought that it will be more profitable and easier for us to communicate with the local language than stick to our native dialect. And I may not only speak for myself with this.

Therefore, I have an open letter, so to speak to some people groups out there, with the clear intent to help the next generation speak the language or the dialect and not to cause conflicts or divisions.

First, to the Chinese language adult advocates. I do understand the patriotism and the need to preserve the Chinese culture, tradition, and language to the next generations. But forcing these to them because "the adults-say-so" just doesn't help. With all the news and propaganda that we read and hear every now and then about China, there will be some of us who will find it difficult to love being a Chinese. We have to help the younger ones to love our heritage and the language. As adults, we understand how the children's mind works - the more you force them to do something they don't like, the more they will become rebellious against doing it.

Another aspect of this situation is when adults impose, in a veil of suggestion, to other kids to speak Chinese whenever they hear them speaking in English, or another local language/dialect. I find this very intrusive, since the authority to impose language to kids are their own parents or grandparents. Especially if we know that with their own children or grandchildren they are not strict about it. We may only, in an honest manner, suggest the necessity and importance of the Chinese language to other kids. And restrain ourselves from labeling Chinese kids who do not speak the language as "Hoa-na gong", or any similar derogatory remarks.

Second, to the Chinese-speaking institutions and organizations. Sometimes, if not most of times, our deep sense of patriotism (or some personal reasons) leak out from the confines of our homes to institutions and organizations that we are involved with. We have to understand that institutions and organizations have their own purpose and goals. Unless propagating or teaching the Chinese language is one of their main goals, then we cannot force it upon them the importance or necessity of the practice. Chinese churches, for one, have the primary purpose of propagating the Gospel of Christ. Just as the Bible has taught Christians for generations, different languages and traditions come as second only to the doctrines the Scripture teaches. I believe that language, traditions, and values learning should primarily be taught at home.

And third, to the Chinese schools in my country. I studied in one of the prominent traditional Chinese schools in Manila. From the primary to the secondary education, we were taught with three main subjects: one for language, one for history/values, one for mathematics. I believe this system does not work for the majority of the students if the goal is to educate them with the Chinese language.

Majority of the Chinese in the Philippines speak Hokkien as the primary Chinese language at home. The medium of instruction in the schools is Mandarin. In my opinion, there are two things that the schools need to do...

One, they need to teach both Mandarin and Hokkien in schools. Adults often tell me that I need to polish my Mandarin in order for me to be more valuable to the world. The prosperity success story that is the modern China has been gaining momentum in my lifetime. And because of this, I understand the importance of learning the language for global competitiveness. However, I also understand that not all modern Chinese families speak Mandarin at home. I know many adults, parents and grandparents alike, even use English to speak to their kids. But they continue to emphasize to speak Chinese whenever they can. Therefore, it is vital that the schools equip the students with both Mandarin and Hokkien to prepare them for the world and to strengthen ties with the older generation.

Two, they need to change the Chinese subjects they are teaching. The subjects themselves, except for the language, are redundant with some of the subjects that the English curriculum teach. If we want to preserve the Chinese language, we have to maximize the time that the students have in our schools, remove redundant subjects and focus on language proficiency and communication. I'm glad to hear that some schools have a change of perspective and slowly are changing their system. Though they cannot let go of the other redundant subjects, I guess removing some is already a big change in a culture where tradition and old habits trump over changes.

I hope these thoughts will be considered for I, too, have a stake in this. I have two kids and I intend to teach my kids to speak Chinese. My eldest speak Hokkien like an old lady, to the amusement of the old Chinese folks I know.

When I was young, I didn't understand the importance of knowing how to speak and write Chinese. But looking back, I wish I had known better.

- Photos taken from Chinese Culture Symbols and Chineasy.org

On a side note, I found an interesting site that teaches Chinese Mandarin through visuals. For the current generation, this is very helpful, since majority learn through visual stimuli. Click here to visit their site and learn more.