Your Language is Your Identity

By Chris (Age 15, Canadian International School)

The process of learning Chinese is a beautiful yet complex and tiring exploration into one's mind. Ever since I was a young boy, my parents have pushed me to learn both Chinese and English at the same time. As a new local student who just entered an international school, English to me was a way more fascinating language. However, I had trouble reading it and my accent became a joke in the class. English has always been the language I want to excel at and become familiar with. As time passed by, I began to realize the beauty of the Chinese language. It was only in the past half a year that I realized my Chinese is way too poor. Being a Chinese person living in a Chinese community, it became very clear to me that learning Chinese is a very important component in my life.

To be very honest, I did not like the fact that I have to learn Mandarin. I always thought to myself being able to know both English and Cantonese is enough to live a life. Moreover, I absolutely adore English because it's the only way to bond with my other friends at school. Since I have been studying in an English school for 8 years, my exposure to the art of Chinese was minimal. Chinese was way too easy for me in an English school, which is why I didn't see the point of learning Chinese outside. However, in the past year, I've been listening to more Chinese songs and started to realize how admirable this language is. Being a Chinese person, I felt that I have the responsibility to learn more about my own culture and language. I began to read Chinese newspapers every single day and write some essays in Chinese using more and more complex vocabulary words. It was hard to convince myself that it was a joy to write something in Chinese. It was a very exciting adventure to try and improve my writing every single time.

Chinese is an elegant language which takes a lot of patience and time to understand. Of course being a Chinese myself makes it a lot easier to learn it. I am always heavily impressed by any foreigners who could speak fluent Chinese. It takes a huge amount of determination and perseverance to learn a new language, especially Chinese. I think it's an important value to treasure and explore. It really widens up your scope in a Chinese community.

It is true that Chinese may not be the most important language in the world, but it is no doubt one of the most mysterious and elegant languages in the world. I have once doubted learning Chinese, but as a Chinese, I have discovered how big of a mistake it is to drop your own language and get hold of another foreign language. Your own language is an important value to yourself. It is crucial for you to learn it before learning a foreign language. Mandarin for me and any Chinese person is a language which represents a part of our identity.