Before entering middle school, I heard choosing Spanish and French would be the most useful languages for the future, and Latin would help with vocabulary on standardized tests. On the other hand, I was told Mandarin would be one of the harder languages. As a student who takes Spanish and is fluent in Mandarin, I argue that all languages are complex either through conjugations, reading comprehension, or pronunciation. Moreover, all languages are beneficial for future use either by going on a school year abroad, going on vacation, or talking to the international community at Dana Hall.
At Dana Hall, Mandarin is the least frequently selected choice for language classes. However, I believe more people should take the class. Over one billion people speak Mandarin, ranking it the second most spoken language in the world, and it is the most natively spoken language as well. Learning Mandarin comes with learning 5,000 years of Chinese culture with varied cuisines and traditions, making class time more fun than people might think. When the history is so engaging, it is relatively easier to learn and master.
One area of confusion is that people think “Chinese” and “Mandarin” mean the same thing, but they are not. Chinese is a collection of languages containing multiple dialects in certain regions of China such as Cantonese, Shanghainese, and Mandarin. Mandarin is the most spoken and the official language in China.
Another misconception is that Mandarin doesn’t have an alphabet. The language has logographics also known as characters that are written symbols representing an entire word. Logographics also appear in Japanese, Korean, Egyptian, Mayan, and Sumerian. Logographics share similar patterns of symbols, helping you write efficiently. However, Mandarin also has pinyin, which romanizes the characters to spell and to master sounds, functioning as an alphabet. It is similar to the Latin alphabet Spanish, French, and Latin have. For example, the character “人”, meaning person, is “rén” in pinyin. It takes practice to get used to spelling words not found in English, but the familiarity of the sounds of letters help you succeed.
Another myth to bust is the struggle with pronouncing the language, especially the tones. The four tones in pinyin can be hard to speak for non-native speakers, but the way you say words, even if they are not accurate, will still be understandable if you were talking to a native speaker. After all, there are many accents and tone changes in other dialects.
“Mandarin isn’t just about the language, it’s about learning the culture behind the language,” says Ms. Cindy Yu, the Dana Hall Mandarin teacher. The curriculum provides an authentic cultural experience involving traditional writing techniques and reading short stories. In addition, the curriculum also includes having activities such as making boba in class, singing and dancing, and celebrating holidays. The most culturally important holidays include Mid-Autumn Festival and Lunar New Year. Mid-Autumn Festival is the most famous for moon cakes and family reunions, and Lunar New Year is celebrated with red envelopes, firecrackers, and lion dances.
The feeling of learning a new language is always overwhelming, as is choosing what course you want to take either if you’re an incoming freshman who wants to try or continue learning Mandarin, or a senior who wants to pick up a new language. Ignore the myths and consider the Mandarin course to gain an edge in knowing one of the most globally popular languages, and have the engaging and educating experience that school is all about.